Jeff Capel blasts controversial final call in Pitt loss to Notre Dame: 'I still can't believe it'

The ending to Tuesday’s ACC men’s basketball tournament opener between Pitt and Notre Dame saw controversy emerge in the final seconds. Panthers forward Zack Austin was called for a foul, which sent Fighting Irish forward Tae Davis to the free throw line for what became the game-winning shot.

The call generated a strong response, both from the ACC Network broadcast and the postgame show. Pitt coach Jeff Capel also spoke out in his postgame press conference and made his thoughts clear on what happened.

Capel said it’s the worst call he’s seen in his coaching career. Considering it also ended Pitt’s season, that added to the emotions that flowed following the 55-54 loss.

“I’ve been coaching for 25 years. The worst play I’ve ever seen to end a ballgame, in my 25 years of doing this,” Capel said. “I still can’t believe it. Shocked at how it ended for us. My guys played hard. We fought, put ourselves in a position to win. Unfortunately, we came up short.”

Former Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim was on the call for the first-round matchup and also called out the officiating. He said it wasn’t a “good look” for the referees to blow the whistle in that spot.

“That’s just not a good look guys. … They can’t make that call,” Boeheim said.

ACC Network analyst Carlos Boozer agreed. He said it was just good defense and was not enough to warrant a call, especially after such a hotly contested game to kick off the ACC tournament.

“Nah, this was a terrific basketball game. Both these teams fighting it out, playing good defense (and) making the right play,” Boozer said. “In my opinion, as an ex-player, there was not enough contact on that play to justify a foul.”

After the game, 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.

Grant Grubbs contributed.