Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 FEBRUARY 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE M i c a h S h re ws b e r r y k n ows h e screwed up. After the final horn sounded on Notre Dame's shocking 72-71 loss to Califor- nia Jan. 2, he lost his cool. Furious with the officiating crew for a controversial foul call that turned an Irish win into a heartbreaking defeat with less than 10 seconds to go in the game, he charged at the referee he deemed responsible and had to be held back by multiple players and coaches. Shrewsberry regained his composure after being held back, shook hands with Cal head coach Mark Madsen and the rest of the Golden Bears and walked back to the locker room with his team. But by then, it was too late. "I made a huge mistake," Shrews- berry said on the ACC coaches zoom call Jan. 5, according to the South Bend Tribune. "Now it's about learning from it and growing from it." Notre Dame must learn and grow from its last three games quickly, as a once-promising season — even with- out star junior guard Markus Burton, who remains sidelined with an ankle in- jury — has taken a dark turn. Between a home loss to a mid-major, a devastating last-second loss at Cal and Shrewsber- ry's subsequent loss of control, the Irish need to turn the ship around, and soon. IRISH LOST TWO MONTHS' WORTH OF GOOD VIBES WITH PURDUE FORT WAYNE LOSS After Notre Dame's win over Evans- ville Dec. 13, Shrewsberry went out of his way to high-five some students he had noticed in the front row of Purcell Pavilion on several nights throughout the young 2025-26 season. The irony was not lost on the third- year head coach. "Unfortunately," Shrewsberry said, laughing, "I can pick out who comes to every game." Notre Dame soon offered a reminder as to why the stadium is empty. Because it's hard to get behind a team that lost 72-69 to Purdue Fort Wayne Dec. 21. "Every bit of praise that we've re- ceived, we …" Shrewsberry said, paus- ing to think about those words. He didn't really finish the thought, but he didn't have to. "Every bit of criticism is justified today." A n d t h a t's o n e o f m a ny t h i n gs Shrewsberry had to think about for the next four days, while his players went home for Christmas and he played the part of the Grinch. "What it did do is ruin my Christ- mas," Shrewsberry said. "There ain't no Christmas in my house. There might be for everybody else in my family, but I have a huge chip on my shoulder. We have to get this back." "This," in Shrewsberry's last sen- tence, is the two months' worth of good vibes that the Irish built up over two months of playing quality basketball. The positive momentum that comes with winning back-to-back high-ma- jor games, building a quality noncon- ference résumé and seeing your name on ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's NCAA Tournament watch list is gone, at least for the next week and likely for quite a while. The final score against Purdue Fort Notre Dame's Season Takes A Dark Turn — In More Ways Than One MEN'S B A S K E T B A L L Head coach Micah Shrewsberry received an official reprimand from the ACC following his actions after a controversial 72-71 loss at California Jan. 2. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER