The calendar has officially flipped in March, which means college basketball players across the country have been preparing for the home stretch of the season. Well, most college basketball players.
Illinois swingman Matthew Mayer has some extra gear to do after missing several days of practice this week thanks to a bout of what he called “caffeine intoxication.” Mayer became ill after he drank several energy drinks and stayed up playing video games after the Illini’s loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
“I literally had six [energy drinks] the day of [Ohio State] game,” Mayer told local media after returning to practice Wednesday. “I had one before, but I’m five hours because I was on a caffeine-induced euphoria from playing video games. I could barely get out of bed the next day. It was basically a caffeine hangover.”
Illinois is currently slated to be a No. 7 seed as the 26th best team in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament field according to the latest projections from Mike DeCourcy. Hopefully, for Illinois fans, there will be no more caffeine-fueled absences for the Illini as they fight for a higher position in a competitive Big Ten.
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