JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Georgia State Coach Ron Hunter may end up in a body cast if the Panthers keep winning.
Hunter coached Georgia State's NCAA Tournament opener against Baylor on Thursday from a stool on wheels because he tore his left Achilles' tendon last Sunday celebrating the Panthers' 38-36 victory over Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament final.
When Hunter's son R.J. hit a three-point basket from about 30 feet with 2.7 seconds left to lift the 14th-seeded Panthers to a 57-56 victory over third-seeded Baylor at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the coach got so excited he fell off his stool and landed hard on his right side.
It was the kind of fall that could break a hip, but Ron Hunter appeared to be fine during Georgia State's postgame news conference.
For sure Hunter wasn't feeling any pain.
"There are a lot of coaches that get to the Elite 32 or the Final Four, but when you get to do it with your son ... I can't tell you how I feel inside," Ron Hunter said. "That's unbelievable.
"I wish every dad in America could have that opportunity, what I just experienced with my son."
R.J. Hunter said he saw his dad "cannonball" off his chair after the game-winning shot.
"They've got to get him a chair with a back," R.J. Hunter said.
R.J. Hunter said being able to celebrate an NCAA Tournament with his family was a dream come true, and he figures it will find a spot in the tournament footage CBS always shows after the championship game.
"Growing up, your dad's profession is trying to get to the NCAA Tournament," Hunter said. "I hugged my sister and said, 'We're going to be in 'One Shining Moment' because we always watched that as a family. That's what we watch when your dad is a coach.
"It's a little surreal right now. It's a little hard to digest."
Harrowing victories
Georgia State beat Georgia Southern and Baylor without senior guard Ryan Harrow, a first-team All-Sun Belt player who is averaging 18.7 points.
Harrow, who played at North Carolina State and Kentucky before transferring to Georgia State, didn't play the past two games because of a hamstring injury.
Harrow said he hopes to play Saturday against Xavier.
"But, hey, they're winning without me so I'm going to be the biggest cheerleader if I can't play," Harrow said. "If I'm able to play, I'll be out there."
Cold Summers
Senior guard Jarvis Summers ended his Ole Miss career by going 0 of 8 from the field in the Rebels' 76-57 loss to Xavier on Thursday and being held scoreless for the first tie this season.
Summers came into the game as the SEC's active leader in points ( 1,629), assists (523) and minutes played (3,857).
"I hate it for Jarvis," Ole Miss Coach Andy Kennedy said. "He's had a tremendous career for us. He's been a leader, he's been steady."
Summers said the Rebels -- who shot 32.9 percent (24 for 73) -- couldn't blame fatigue after they beat BYU in a First Four game Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio, then arrived in Jacksonville about 4 a.m. Wednesday to prepare for a rested Xavier team.
"We can't use that as an excuse," said Summers, who had seven assists. "We put ourselves in this situation, and we just had to bounce back, and we didn't make it happen."
NCAA hospitality
Georgia State Coach Ron Hunter said it wasn't a knock on the NCAA, but it sure sounded like one.
"Think about this, they put Baylor up the the Hyatt, flew them in here on a nice charter flight," Hunter said. "They put us a on bus and put us in the Holiday Inn.
"And guess what? We get to stay another day, so we're really excited about that."
Maybe the NCAA should move Georgia State into the rooms Baylor vacated at the Hyatt.
UALR, not Hogs
The Wall Street Journal's NCAA Tournament special section included a breakdown of the top games from each round in each regional going back to 1985.
Surprisingly, Arkansas' 74-73 victory over defending national champion Louisville in 1981 on U.S. Reed's half-court shot at the buzzer didn't make the cut.
The state of Arkansas was represented by UALR's 90-83 victory over Notre Dame in 1986.
Pressing issue
Georgia State's advantage in points off turnovers against Baylor -- 21-4 --sounded like something Arkansas would do to Delaware State.
The Bears committed 21 turnovers against the Panthers' press while Georgia State had six turnovers.
Baylor came into the game averaging 12.5 turnovers per game.
"We've been pressed all year and we handled it the right way," Baylor senior guard Kenny Chery said. "Today, we were nonchalant about it and didn't take care of the ball."
Sports on 03/20/2015