Worst call ever? Fans, media react to controversy in Pitt-Notre Dame ACC Tournament game
By Andrew Olson
Published:
The ACC Tournament began first-round play on Tuesday, and we already have a highly controversial finish in Game 1, with the referees being credited with ending Pitt’s season.
No. 12-seed Pitt and 13-seed Notre Dame were tired 54-54 in the final seconds of action. The game appeared to be heading to overtime, but the referees made a stunning foul call on Pitt with less than 1 second on the block. The Irish made a free throw to secure a 55-54 win.
As expected, fans and media members were in disbelief on how things finished in Charlotte. “Worst call ever” is being used to describe calling a questionable foul in the final second of a tie game in a conference tournament.
Here is a small sample of the social media reaction to the controversial finish:
For Pitt, it’s a heartbreaking finish to a disappointing season. The Panthers went just 17-14 during the regular season, going 8-12 against ACC opponents.
Notre Dame’s win means the Irish move on to the second round. The Irish will play again on Wednesday, facing No. 5 seed North Carolina in Game 5, the second game of the second round. The winner of Game 5 will advance to Thursday’s Quarterfinals and face 4-seed Wake Forest.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
