FAIRFAX, Va., March 12 -- George Mason University issued the following news release:

Sports enthusiasts are gearing up for the largest college basketball tournament in the nation: March Madness. As fans finalize their brackets and get gameday snacks ready, athletes are also fueling for prolonged and fast-paced competition. Registered sports dietitian Allison McKay and George Mason University Athletics sports dietitian Quinten Patterson, who is also the preceptor for dietetics students completing supervised practice hours in the Graduate Program in Nutrition and Dietetics, explain what keeps college basketball players energized through the final buzzer.

For fans' March Madness watch party menus, Patterson and McKay recommend a balanced ble...