College basketball coach loses it and goes for ref after controversial call as fans call for suspension

Notre Dame men’s basketball head coach Micah Shrewsberry charged toward an official in the messy aftermath of the Fighting Irish’s 72-71 loss to Cal on Friday night.

Shrewsberry chased down the official after a controversial call went against Notre Dame in the closing seconds of the game.

Getty

The Golden Bears trailed by three points with under 10 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Fighting Irish head coach instructed his team to foul in the closing seconds as Cal brought the ball up the floor to avoid them getting an opportunity to hit a game-tying three-pointer.

However, Bears guard Dai Dai Ames nailed a three-pointer with the referees ruling Notre Dame’s foul as coming too late, therefore giving him an and-one opportunity to take the lead.

In a strange sequence of events, the officials then reversed the call to an on-the-floor-foul, before reversing that decision to count the bucket and put the points back on the board for Cal.

Ames converted the and-one to give him a game-high 23 points on the night, and more crucially, give Cal the lead with just five seconds left on the clock after they scored seven points in the final 11 seconds of the tightly-fought contest.

As time expired, that is when chaos ensued, as Shrewsberry lost all composure as he went to battle for justice to be given to his team.

This result saw Notre Dame fall to 10-5 on the season, while the Golden Bears – who have NBA legend Scottie Pippen’s son Justin (14-4-3 on the night) on the roster – climb to 13-2.

College basketball fans – especially fans of Notre Dame – were left outraged over the referees, as concerns continue to mount over officiating in the sport.

“Why aren’t officials ever held accountable?? Its bulls***. Coaches, players, ADs face the press everyday after losses,” one angry fan posted to X (formerly Twitter).

“One loss could cost a tourney bid and a coach’s job. Why are A** refs ALWAYS protected? Laughable call changes the outcome but the clown ref walks free?”

Getty

Getty

“Who wouldn’t have? The continuation on the 4-point play was the most ridiculous I’ve ever seen. I was mad that they held him back. Some of these refs need to be taught the hard way,” another fan commented.

“Good. These refs need to be held accountable. These ones specifically should lose their jobs. Reality, they’re just script keepers. Look at the ref. He isn’t concerned in the least. Most protected person in that arena,” a third wrote.

“I’m a Michigan fan and hate Notre Dame, but that might be the worse screw job I’ve ever seen. Wow,” a rival fan wrote.

It is likely that Shrewsberry will face a suspension for his outburst, which could see him miss the Jan. 10 clash against Clemson.

Notre Dame’s athletic program taken another hit

Whilst much of the frustration was dished out in the direction of the referees, some took aim at the behaviour of Shrewsberry on the sideline.

“Another example of really poor leadership as a coach act absolutely BONKERS & unable to control their emotions yet expect players to do the exact opposite,” one fan said.

Getty

“Wow that is a BAD look! Worse than skipping bowl games because you feel slighted. Time for the ND AD to either step up and get his teams in line or get fired! Pretty embarrassing,” another commented, referring to Notre Dame’s football team.

After their omission from being named as one of the 12 teams selected to participate in the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish opted to decline a bowl game invite.

Last season’s finalists, Notre Dame had made the top 10 of every CFP rankings throughout the season before the committee made their final decision, where they dropped down to No. 11.

Left stunned by their omission, athletic director Pete Bevacqua stated, “My feelings and the feelings here are just shock and, really, an absolute sense of sadness for our student-athletes.

“Overwhelming shock and sadness. Like a collective feeling that we were all just punched in the stomach.”

Stay up to date with the latest from college football across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.