Arizona Wildcats hoops star Bennedict Mathurin says he has been trying to apologize to a TCU dancer this week ... after he appeared to accidentally touch her chest following a game this weekend.
The alleged moment happened after the Wildcats' 85-80 win over the Horned Frogs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday ... when the 6'6" Canadian baller -- the 2022 Pac-12 Player of the Year -- took a bow in front of fans and spread his arms as he was headed to the locker room.
From one angle, Mathurin's hand appeared to make contact with the dancer's chest ... but a different clip shows he actually might have avoided touching her.
definitely not intentional pic.twitter.com/yIMjsbZkgp
— big sports girl (@p3ttyprinc3ss24) March 22, 2022
Either way, the 19-year-old said he is actively trying to reach out to the student to personally apologize.
"I actually sent an email trying to reach out to the cheerleader," Mathurin said.
"Through the TCU athletic department, I reached out to her and that is it."
Dave Heeke, Arizona's athletic director, backed Mathurin's words ... saying the hooper did reach out to TCU to try to resolve the situation.
"While he does not recall any contact, he has attempted to reach out to the TCU student through their Athletic Department to apologize."
The 1-seed Wildcats and Mathurin will face the 5-seed Houston Cougars on Thursday in Sweet 16.
The winner will play against either Michigan or Villanova in the Elite 8 on Saturday.