The opening round of the ACC Basketball Tournament delivered high drama on Tuesday as 12th-seeded Notre Dame edged 13th-seeded Pittsburgh 55-54, thanks to a last-second foul call that left the Panthers frustrated. Tae Davis split a pair of free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining after officials whistled Pitt’s Zack Austin for a controversial foul on a putback attempt, sealing the Fighting Irish’s victory.
With the game tied at 54-54, Notre Dame held the ball for the final possession. Freshman Markus Burton let the clock wind down before driving into the lane, only for his contested shot to fall short. Davis secured the offensive rebound and put up a shot that rolled off the rim as time expired, but a foul was called on Austin in an attempt to contest the putback.
The officials reviewed the play to determine if the buzzer had sounded before the whistle. After confirming the foul occurred in time, Davis stepped to the line. He calmly knocked down the first free throw, putting the Irish ahead, but missed the second. Pitt’s Jaland Lowe launched a desperation heave from beyond half-court, but the shot was off the mark, securing Notre Dame’s narrow win.
Davis led the Fighting Irish with 11 points, while Nikita Konstantynovskyi added 10 points and nine rebounds, including a crucial tip-in in the final minute. Burton contributed 10 points and four steals, though he also committed six of Notre Dame’s 17 turnovers.
For Pitt, Lowe was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points on 6-for-18 shooting, but he struggled to find consistency. Cameron Corhen chipped in 10 points, but the Panthers’ offense never found its rhythm, shooting just 28.6% from the field.
Neither team shot well from beyond the arc in the low-scoring affair. Notre Dame hit just 3 of 16 (18.8%) from three-point range, while Pitt fared even worse at 2 of 12 (16.7%). The Irish led 25-22 at halftime, with Konstantynovskyi providing a spark in the paint.
With the win, Notre Dame (15-17) advances to the second round, where they will face No. 5 seed North Carolina on Wednesday. The Tar Heels narrowly defeated the Irish 74-73 in their only regular-season meeting, setting the stage for another tight battle.
Pitt (17-15), meanwhile, sees its NCAA Tournament hopes likely dashed, barring an unexpected invitation to a postseason tournament. The Panthers will leave Charlotte, wondering what could have been after a heart-wrenching ending.
