Notre Dame men’s head basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry charged after referee Adam Flore following a controversial finish against Cal in ACC action on Friday night in Berkeley. Shrewsberry was livid that the officials called a shooting foul on Notre Dame guard Logan Imes with 5.5 seconds remaining that turned into a go-ahead four-point play for Cal guard Dai Dai Ames in a 72-71 Golden Bears win. The ruling also came after officials reversed the call to a non-shooting foul, before reversing it again.
Here’s how the wild scene looked on the ESPN broadcast:
Fighting Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry tried to confront an official after Notre Dame’s loss to Cal following this four-point play. pic.twitter.com/zai9rriAfU
— ESPN (@espn) January 3, 2026
On Saturday, the ACC issued a public reprimand of Shrewsberry.
The ACC has issued a public reprimand of Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry. pic.twitter.com/sv49bZndio
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 3, 2026
“The Atlantic Coast Conference has issued a public reprimand of Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry for violating the ACC Sportsmanship Policy following Notre Dame’s game against California on Friday, January 2.
Shrewsberry aggressively confronted a member of the officiating crew following the game. The unsportsmanlike behavior that was displayed is unacceptable and tarnishes the on-court play between these institutions.
The ACC considers this matter closed and will have no further comment.”
So, there’s no fine or suspension from the ACC for Shrewsberry, and that decision “shocked” longtime college basketball analyst Seth Davis.
“I am shocked the ACC did not suspend Shrewsberry for this,” Davis, the CBS Sports analyst and co-founder of Hoops HQ, posted to X. “Totally unacceptable from a coach. What would he have done if people didn’t prevent him from getting to the ref?”
I am shocked the ACC did not suspend Shrewsberry for this. Totally unacceptable from a coach. What would he have done if people didn’t prevent him from getting to the ref? https://t.co/BivVhhBTYd
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) January 3, 2026
As Davis alluded to, it’s fair to wonder what would have happened if Notre Dame players and staff members didn’t hold Shrewsberry back as he aggressively tried to confront Flore.
Shrewsberry, who issued an apology statement on Saturday, is certainly lucky to avoid a suspension. Granted, Notre Dame fans are also right to be upset at the officiating for calling a shooting foul there after multiple clear attempts to foul on purpose before the shot in what turned into a game-deciding sequence. Both sides could have been much better on this one.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.