Levance Fields out for eight to 12 weeks

Pitt’s star point guard Levance Fields is out eight to 12 weeks with a fractured fifth… Pitt’s star point guard Levance Fields is out eight to 12 weeks with a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot. Fields will undergo surgery on Monday at UPMC South Side Hospital.

Fields slipped after driving to the basket in Pitt’s 80-55 loss at Dayton. The 5-foot-10 junior writhed in agony after he appeared to trip over something off the court.

“We’re extremely disappointed for Levance,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said in a release. “Levance has been a leader for us both on and off the floor. We expect him to make a full recovery and return sometime later this season.”

Fields averaged 11.9 points, 5.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds a game through Pitt’s first 12 games. He was an All-Big East selection after the 2006-07 season.

Pitt (11-1) hosts Lafayette on Jan. 2 at the Petersen Events Center.

Senior guard Ronald Ramon will probably slide from starting shooting guard to point guard. Senior Keith Benjamin should enter the starting lineup at Ramon’s shooting-guard slot.

This is the second devastating injury to Pitt’s lineup in a week. Starting wing Mike Cook tore his ACL in Pitt’s 65-64 win over Duke on Dec. 20. Pitt now has only nine scholarship players on its roster.