Pitt’s Jeff Capel on Controversial Foul Call: ‘I Still Can’t Believe It’

CHARLOTTE — On Tuesday, Pitt’s game against Notre Dame — and likely, its season — concluded after a controversial foul call in the final second of the game.

With the clock winding down, Notre Dame’s star guard Markus Burton took a heavily-contested jumper. After his shot missed off the rim, his teammate, Tae Davis, went up for the offensive rebound. Davis grabbed the ball and shot it back up towards the basket. While he went up for the shot, Pitt’s Zack Austin reached out his arm to block the shot. His right arm appeared to touch Davis’ shoulder. The foul was called, and Davis made one free throw to take the lead. Pitt’s Jaland Lowe attempted a full court heave for the win in the final second, but it didn’t make it to the basket.

See the play here.

“Really hated the way that it ended,” Jeff Capel said after the game. “I’ve been coaching for 25 years, the worst way I’ve ever seen to end a ballgame in my 25 years of doing this. I still can’t believe it. Shocked of how it ended for us. My guys played hard, we fought, put ourselves in a position to win, unfortunately, we came up short.”

Pitt is now 17-15 on the season and 8-13 in ACC play. The Panthers have now been eliminated from the ACC Tournament just two days after arriving in Charlotte for the event. The Panthers still may play in a postseason tournament (NIT, CBI), but it won’t be the NCAA Tournament. Stay tuned on PSN to see what Pitt plans to do, or if the season is over.