The first game of the ACC Tournament this week was between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame as the 12 and 13 seeds. In the regular season, Notre Dame defeated the Panthers in their lone regular season matchup, so Pitt was looking for some level of revenge.
It was a game that was ugly, to say the least. The teams combined to score just 49 points in the first half, with the second half not being any better. Overall, the Irish had a season-high 17 turnovers, with leading scorer Markus Burton scoring just 10 points on 4/14 FG shooting. Meanwhile, the Panthers shot 36% from the field as a team and just 4/22 from three-point range.
As ugly as the game was, it was close throughout. In fact, it went down to the final seconds, as the game was tied at 54 and Notre Dame ball. What happened in the last possession was one of great controversy, with Tae Davis getting fouled by Zack Austin right under the bucket.
Was it the right call? Many online would argue no. However, the refs did. Davis made one of two free throws to clinch the 55-54 victory for Notre Dame, who moves on to face 5-seed North Carolina in the second round of the ACC Tournament. For Pittsburgh, it ends a miserable second half of the season, winning just three of the last 13 games to fall completely out of the bubble.
For Austin, it’s a sad end to an otherwise good college career. He was one of the top shot-blockers and three-point shooters in the ACC, becoming a true “3 and D” player for them. What hurts even more is that’s how the game ended, instead of just going to overtime and having the players decide it instead.
We’ll see if Pittsburgh plays in another postseason event or if that’s the last time we see Austin in a Pitt uniform. For the Irish, they get to play another day.