New York ? West Virginia made sure Boston College’s last appearance in the Big East tournament was brief.

Mike Gansey scored 21 points, and West Virginia hung on to beat No. 7 Boston College, 78-72, in the quarterfinals Thursday, ruining the Eagles’ bid for a final conference championship.

“It’s a great feeling to come in here, play against a good team and prove that we’re a good team,” Mountaineers center Kevin Pittsnogle said. “We’re having a lot of fun.”

Pittsnogle added 17 points for the Mountaineers (20-9), who very likely wrapped up at least an NCAA Tournament at-large bid after the surprising win over the Big East’s top seed.

“That committee is so thorough with this thing, and they will choose the right teams,” West Virginia coach John Beilein said. “Obviously, I’m biased, but they will choose the right teams, and there’s no doubt in our minds that we’re one of the right teams.”

West Virginia, the No. 8 seed, improved to 3-8 in the tournament and advanced to its first semifinal — against Villanova — tonight at Madison Square Garden. Making the win even more impressive was the fact that the Mountaineers did it without top scorer Tyrone Sally, who missed the game because of a stomach ailment.

Craig Smith scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds for Boston College (24-4), which leaves the Big East for the ACC after this season.

The Eagles, who shared the regular-season title with Connecticut, sputtered through their last eight games, going just 4-4 after starting 20-0 and possibly hurting their chances at earning a top-3 seed.

No. 6 Louisville 85, TCU 61

West Virginia's Frank Young, right, celebrates in front of Boston College's Sean Marshall. The Mountaineers beat the Eagles, 78-72, Thursday in New York.

Memphis, Tenn. — Larry O’Bannon scored 18 points, leading five Louisville players in double figures.

The top-seeded Cardinals (27-4) never trailed in winning their seventh straight game, and 16th in their last 17.

TCU (19-13) hasn’t advanced past the quarterfinals of any tournament since reaching the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference tournament in 2000.

No. 8 Arizona 88, Cal 63

Los Angeles — Channing Frye scored 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting, and No. 8 Arizona (26-5) routed California in the opening game of the Pac-10 tournament.

No. 12 Connecticut 66, Georgetown 62

New York — Connecticut, despite making just one field goal during the final five minutes, hung on to beat Georgetown in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. Freshman Rudy Gay had 17 points for the Huskies (22-6).

No. 14 Washington 95, Arizona State 90, OT

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Los Angeles — Nate Robinson scored six of his 29 points in overtime, and No. 14 Washington (25-5) survived Arizona State’s comeback in the first round of the Pac-10 tournament.

No. 15 Utah 62, Colorado State 49

Denver — Andrew Bogut scored 11 of his 21 points during the first 41/2 minutes, leading the 15th-ranked Utes (26-4) in the opening round of the Mountain West Conference tournament.

No. 16 Syracuse 81, Rutgers 57

New York — Gerry McNamara scored 25 points, and Hakeem Warrick added 23 to lead Syracuse past Rutgers in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

No. 19 Villanova 67, No. 22 Pittsburgh 58

New York — Randy Foye scored 23 points, and No. 19 Villanova (22-6) won its eighth straight game, beating No. 22 Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament.

South Florida 80, No. 21 Cincinnati 68

Memphis, Tenn. — Terrence Leather scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, and South Florida (14-15) beat No. 21 Cincinnati in the Conference USA tournament quarterfinals. Jason Maxiell led Cincinnati (24-7) with 21 points.

Memphis 83, No. 25 Charlotte 69

Memphis, Tenn. — Rodney Carney scored 20 points, and Memphis (18-14) continued its run through the Conference USA tournament in the quarterfinals. Charlotte (21-7) shot just 35 percent.