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Controversial call by officials gives Notre Dame win vs. Pitt in first game of ACC Tournament

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby:Grant Grubbs•about 17 hours•

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Pittsburgh Notre Dame Zack Austin ACC Tournament controversial foul call
Photo via @burnacity2025 | X

Controversy erupted in the closing moments of ACC Tournament’s opening game on Tuesday. With the game tied 54-54, Notre Dame guard Markus Burton held the ball for the last shot. His contested pull-up jumper fell short but in a wild turn of events, Pittsburgh forward Zack Austin was called for a foul while going for the rebound.

In turn, Notre Dame’s Tae Davis was awarded two free throws with less than a second left on the game clock. He made one of his two attempts and Pittsburgh was unable to convert its full-court heave. Notre Dame walked away with a 55-54 win.

“That’s just not a good look guys,” former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said on the broadcast. “… They can’t make that call.”

After the game, Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel had to chase down Jaland Lowe, who was following the officials off the court demanding an explanation. Notre Dame will face off against 5-seed North Carolina on Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

Davis led the charge for the Fighting Irish on Tuesday, tallying a team-high 11 points. Senior forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi was a standout as well, racking up 10 points and nine rebounds on 4-4 shooting.

Notre Dame’s leading scorer Markus Burton struggled against the Panthers. He finished the game with just 10 points while shooting 4-14 from the field. Worse, he recorded six turnovers compared to just three assists.

Jon Scheyer weighs in on National Player of the Year race

It’s a two-man race for the National Player of the Year Award. Duke‘s Cooper Flagg and Auburn‘s Johni Broome both have strong arguments for the coveted title but, to Duke head coach Jon Scheyer, it’s a no-brainer.

“Look, I mean, for me, it’s Cooper,” Scheyer said after Duke’s 82-69 win over North Carolinaon Saturday. ““That’s not knocking anybody — I mean, we played Broome, he’s a great player — but Cooper, the way he impacts every aspect of the game, I don’t think we’ve seen in college for a long time.

“He impacts it in every way, and tonight’s a good example… But again, that’s not what Cooper plays for. That’s not what we play for. But obviously, recognition you always appreciate and is good. But we’ll keep control of what we can. That’s the best we can do.”

In Duke’s victory over the Tar Heels to complete the season sweep, Flagg stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists and four blocks despite missing 10 minutes in the first half after getting poked in the eye.