Illinois Player Loses Shoe During March Madness Game, Continues to Play with One
March Madness is in full swing, and the opening round between Illinois Fighting Illini and Arkansas Razorbacks had plenty of unexpected twists and turns. One of the most bizarre moments came when Illinois senior Matthew Mayer lost his shoe during the first half. But what happened next was even more unusual.
Rather than scrambling to put his shoe back on, Mayer made an audacious decision. He tossed his sneaker onto the Illinois sideline, and Illinois continued to play with just one shoe. They ran a half-court possession with Mayer stationed on the perimeter, but Arkansas forced a turnover. Illinois quickly regained possession, but another turnover followed. Arkansas finally capitalized on the chaos, scoring a basket while Mayer struggled to defend with just one shoe on his foot.
Surprisingly, Illinois didn’t call a timeout during this strange sequence. Instead, they continued to play, with Mayer still without his shoe. They ran one more half-court set, with Mayer once again spotting up on the perimeter. They missed their shot, but Illinois got the ball back and got a stop on defense.
It wasn’t until over a minute had passed that Mayer was finally able to retrieve his lost sneaker. The whole ordeal was one of the most bizarre and unpredictable moments of the tournament so far.
It’s anyone’s guess why Illinois coach Brad Underwood didn’t call a timeout or why the officials didn’t stop the play. But that’s the beauty of March Madness, where anything can happen and the unexpected is the norm.
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