Illinois' Matthew Mayer Says He Made Himself Sick By Drinking Too Many Energy Drinks

The Illinois Fighting Illini have had a bit of an up-and-down season and are currently on track to earn a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament in most bracketologies. They have an opportunity to improve their résumé this week with a home game against Michigan and an exceptionally tough trip to Purdue. To win those contests, they'll need senior forward Matthew Mayer to continue his stat-sheet stuffing. And to do that, the 6-foot-9 weapon who transferred in from Baylor needs to get ahold of his caffeine intake.

Because right now he's going through it.

Not a doctor but five energy drinks seems excessive. Gaming must take a tremendous amount of energy. Not like playing high-level college basketball.

Now, again, this is purely speculation on my part but it seems like five energy drinks in a single seating is something that can only be explored by someone who has previously done three or even four energy drinks back-to-back. Maybe during finals week while studying. Allegedly.

Mayer is averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game this year. His 1.3 blocks per game is among the best in the Big Ten. If he has a weakness, it's a sensitive tummy and those shiny, colorful cans at the gas station that always seem like a good idea at the time and then fade into instant regret.