NCAA TOURNAMENT DAILY REPORT : Now Here Is a Real Miracle

Patricia Keady, wife of Purdue Coach Gene Keady, said it was a miracle. No, she wasn’t talking about how her husband’s team narrowly escaped against Western Carolina but about how her daughter, Lisa Sands, 30, was able to attend the West Regional game at Albuquerque.

Sands suffered a fall Jan. 10 at her New Jersey home and slipped into a coma for three weeks following brain surgery. A day after the accident, Keady’s father, Lloyd, died.

“It’s been a tough year for us, but my dad never talks about the negative,” Sands said. “It’s always the positive with him.”

Mrs. Keady said within the past month, Sands has learned how to walk, talk and read again.

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Massachusetts Coach John Calipari may have broken a university rule by using team stationery for a letter he wrote backing an Amherst businessman, Michael Konvelski, in a bid to open a sports bar. Konvelski’s bid was turned down by city officials.

“In general, it’s inappropriate for university employees to use university stationery for non-university purposes,” a school spokeswoman said.

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Massachusetts’ Marcus Camby took a beating in his team’s 92-70 victory over Central Florida in the East Regional at Providence, R.I., getting struck in the groin early in the game and taking a hit in the head in the second half that send him to the floor with blood pouring out. The cut required stitches.

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Bryce Drew, Valparaiso’s assist leader and No. 2 scorer, has ligament damage in his right thumb, which was injured in practice on Tuesday.

Valparaiso plays Arizona tonight in a West Regional game at Tempe, Ariz.

Valparaiso is in its first NCAA tournament, while Arizona is making its 12th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament.