Notre Dame men’s basketball lost at California Friday due in part to a deeply controversial call that gave the Golden Bears a four-point play in the final seconds. However, the reaction of Fighting Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry is what has garnered much of the attention from the end of the 72–71 defeat.
Notre Dame led the Cal 71–68 with under 10 seconds to play, when guard Dai Dai Ames drilled a game-tying three from the corner with 5.5 seconds left on the clock. Notre Dame guard Logan Imes appeared to try and reach for a foul before Ames went up with the shot, but when it wasn’t called, he quickly backed away, giving Ames an open look. After an initial reversal of the foul call, the officiating crew led by Adam Flore ultimately called it a shooting foul, putting Ames on the line for what would be the game-winning free throw.
Micah Shrewsberry’s reaction was uncalled for and probably will earn him a short suspension, but if the referee crew that made this call and decided this game isn’t also reprimanded, the system is broken. What a joke. pic.twitter.com/EiPbN1me5e
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) January 3, 2026
It looked like the clear wrong call, but Shrewsberry’s reaction was over the top. After guard Braeden Shrewsberry missed Notre Dame’s last second shot, the Fighting Irish coach ran onto the court and charged at the exiting officials, with staff members and players having to restrain him.
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
Micah Shrewsberry was reprimanded, but not suspended, by the ACC after the incident
The ACC put out a statement on Saturday morning after Notre Dame’s loss:
“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.”
Shrewsberry apologized for his actions shortly before the ACC’s release
The Notre Dame coach released an apology through the program’s X account shortly before the ACC’s statement.
“I want to apologize for what took place immediately after the Cal game last night,” Shrewsberry wrote. “My actions were inappropriate and not symbolic of the leader I strive to be and what Notre Dame expects of its coaches and educators. I will learn from this lack of judgement and be better in the future. I want to apologize to our team, our University and its leaders, to (California) Coach (Mark) Madsen and his team, and to the ACC, as my actions were unacceptable.”
The Fighting Irish are 10–5 with the loss, while California moved up to 13–2. Notre Dame returns to play next Saturday at home against Clemson.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry Reprimanded for Charging Ref Over Controversial Call.
