West Virginia’s Bryant out of NCAA tournament with broken foot

West Virginia starting point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant will miss the rest of the NCAA Tournament after breaking his right foot, school officials confirmed Tuesday night.

The loss is a blow to the second-seeded Mountaineers who face No. 11 Washington in Thursday’s East Regional semifinals at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

Bryant, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. He started 31 of 35 games this season while averaging 9.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds.

Joe Mazzulla, a 6-2 junior, will likely replace Bryant in the starting lineup.

St. John’s courts Hewitt of Ga. Tech

Georgia Tech has granted permission for St. John’s to interview Yellow Jackets Coach Paul Hewitt.

Georgia Tech associate athletic director Wayne Hogan said St. John’s was given the OK on Tuesday to speak with Hewitt. Hogan said he did not know when the interview would take place.

Hewitt, who is from New York, coached Georgia Tech to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Hewitt has guided Georgia Tech to five NCAA tournaments, including the 2004 Final Four, in his 10 seasons.

St. John’s fired Norm Roberts last week.

Georgia Tech (23-13) advanced to the championship game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament and earned its first NCAA tournament victory since 2005 before falling to Ohio State in the second round.

Landesberg quits Virginia to go pro

Virginia’s suspended leading scorer Sylven Landesberg is leaving school to pursue a professional career.

Coach Tony Bennett said Tuesday that Landesberg won’t complete the current semester. Earlier this month the sophomore guard was suspended for the rest of the season for failing to meet his academic obligations.

Landesberg was the ACC’s top rookie last season. He led Virginia this season with averages of 17.3 points and 2.9 assists.

NIT results:

North Carolina 60, Alabama Birmingham 55: Deon Thompson had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead stingy North Carolina to victory over UAB Tuesday night in the National Invitation Tournament quarterfinals.

The Tar Heels (19-16) held the Blazers without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes down the stretch to earn their first trip to the NIT semifinals since 1973. They will face Virginia Tech or Rhode Island.

Mississippi 90, Texas Tech 87 (2OT): Murphy Holloway converted a three-point play with three seconds left in the second overtime Tuesday to give Ole Miss a win over the Red Raiders.

Ole Miss (24-10) advanced to the NIT semifinals for the second time in three seasons and improved to 11-1 in NIT home games.