There was an awkward moment during the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 between Arizona and TCU as Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin seemingly made contact with a member of the Horned Frogs’ dance team.
Mathurin was seen appearing to touch a dancer when coming off the floor following Arizona’s overtime win over TCU. On Wednesday, Mathurin addressed the controversy.
Speaking to the media, Mathurin said he attempted to apologize to the dancer via email. He did not say whether he received a response, let alone an accepted apology, from the dancer.
Arizona athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement earlier today that Mathurin did not recall making contact. But he attempted to reach out via TCU’s athletic department anyway.
Via ESPN:
“Shortly after returning to Tucson, I was notified that people on social media were claiming a video clip showed Bennedict Mathurin may have made physical contact with a TCU student while walking off the court. I have reached out to TCU’s Athletics Department and I spoke with Bennedict. While he does not recall any contact, he has attempted to reach out to the TCU student through their Athletic Department to apologize.”
TCU has yet to respond to the issue as of writing.
Hey @MarchMadnessMBB @ArizonaMBB why did Benedict Mathurin have to touch a @TCU cheerleader in the breast? pic.twitter.com/4qe9rP7Oqx
— SportsFanatic (@GivingMyOpinion) March 21, 2022
During the incident in question, Bennedict Mathurin turned towards the exit tunnel with his arms outstretched. He appeared to make contact with a dancer’s chest, though it was not clearly visible. The dancer did not appear to have a visible reaction in the clip circulated on social media.
Arizona returns to the court this Thursday against Houston in the Sweet 16.
The post Arizona Star Was Asked About Viral Dance Team Member Video appeared first on The Spun.