Goodbye and good riddance.

That seemed to be West Virginia’s message to Boston College yesterday, as the Mountaineers rudely dismissed the Big East’s top seed in the quarterfinals, 79-72.

It was a forgettable Big East finale for the Eagles, who move to the ACC next season, as they were doubled up 44-22 in the first half before waking up after halftime. What made the outcome so stunning is that the Mountaineers won with their best player, senior forward Tyrone Salley, out with the flu. But his absence may have been a blessing in disguise, as manna from heaven appeared in the form of Frank Young. The little-used reserve, averaging just 2.3 points, erupted for 13 in the first half to propel WVU to a commanding lead.

With an NCAA Tournament bid possibly hanging in the balance, Young wasn’t the only Mountaineer to play out of his mind. Junior swingman Mike Gansey made 6-of-7 shots and finished with a career-high 21 points, while big man Kevin Pittsnogle added 17, including two key second-half 3-pointers to stave off B.C.’s belated comeback attempt.

The win at Madison Square Garden removes any doubt about the Mountaineers’ NCAA tournament credentials, even if they can’t get past Villanova in today’s semifinals. Look for West Virginia to end up seeded in the 8-9 range, where they could prove to be a major annoyance for a top seeded team in the second round. With their 3-point heavy attack, this is the kind of team that can beat almost anybody if they get hot at the right time.

For Boston College, the lifeless first half may drop them to a no.4 seed when the NCAA announces the tournament pairings on Sunday. After their amazing 20-0 start (which included two convincing wins over the Mountaineers), the Eagles finished the year just 4-4, which will hurt them since the committee places greater value on recent games. Yesterday’s loss may also deprive the Eagles of a coveted spot in nearby Worcester for the opening two rounds. Look for UConn to end up there instead.

While B.C. and West Virginia are both headed to the Big Dance, don’t expect Notre Dame to join them. The Irish only needed to triumph over last-place Rutgers in Wednesday’s opening round to sew up a spot in the tournament … but lost. Now they’ll be sweating out selection Sunday, with the odds against their selection. Some commentators already have declared the Irish NIT-bound, but that may be premature. With Maryland’s first-round loss in the ACC tournament opening a spot and relatively few surprise teams stealing bids in conference tournaments, the window remains open for the Irish. But they need everything involving the other “Bubble” teams to break in their favor this weekend.

One spot stayed open when Georgetown fell to UConn last night. The Hoyas needed a win to have any chance at an invite to the NCAAs, and nearly pulled it off in a 66-62 defeat. The Hoyas had a chance to win on their last possession, but for some reason Ashanti Cook – who had played a great game up to that point – ignored a wide-open Jeff Green at the 3-point line and instead decided to launch a contested jumper that went off the back rim. The young squad still should be pleased with their season considering nobody expected them to make even the NIT.

In the meantime, we’ll see the Mountaineers against Villanova, who held off Pittsburgh Thursday 67-58 in the country’s only conference quarterfinal to match two ranked teams. Give credit to the surging Wildcats, who played suffocating defense throughout and got Pitt’s Chevon Troutman in early foul trouble – he ended up fouling out without making a field goal. All the pieces were clicking for ‘Nova yesterday: Randy Foye and Curtis Sumpter were superb, combining for 40 points by converting several difficult jump shots.

For Pitt, it’s another tough loss in what has become a very disappointing season. Jamie Dixon’s crew seemed to spend more time yelling at the refs than figuring out how to come back, and they never seriously threatened the Wildcats once they fell behind by double figures midway through the first half. Pitt center Chris Taft continues to be an enigma, scoring 10 points against frontcourt players with a fraction of his talent and committing a bird-brained technical foul when he knocked the ball out of an inbounder’s hands. With 18 points, spark-plug point guard Carl Krauser was Pitt’s lone bright spot – a phrase that’s been uttered far too often this season. The loss likely knocks the Panthers down to a no. 6 seed in the NCAAs, while ‘Nova could go as high as no. 3 if they win the Big East tourney.

Looking ahead, today’s semifinals should prove entertaining. In the undercard, both West Virginia and Villanova are guard-oriented teams that love to shoot the 3-pointer, so don’t expect your typical foul-plagued Big East scrum. ‘Nova’s superior defense and depth makes it the favorite, especially if Salley’s flu isn’t the 24-hour variety.

In the nightcap, the Connecticut steamroller faces the Syracuse, who dispatched Rutgers rather easily in last night’s last quarterfinal game. The difficulty in this game for Syracuse will be boxing out UConn in its zone defense, because the Huskies’ Charlie Villanueva and Josh Boone are two of the best offensive rebounders in the country – they average six a game between them. Boxing out in a zone is always more difficult because players don’t always have a body right next to them to wall off.

For the league as a whole, a crowd-pleasing doubleheader in the semis may take away some of the sting of a disappointing quarterfinals. The Big East hoped to get eight teams into the NCAAs, but with Georgetown’s and Notre Dame’s setbacks, it may have to settle for six. Plus, with B.C. faltering, only UConn has a realistic hope of being among the top eight seeds. Nonetheless, there’s little shame in “only” getting six bids. Overall, the Big East is as strong as it has been since the Mullin-Ewing glory days.

And don’t shed any tears over B.C.’s departure, either – next year the league replaces the Eagles with five new teams. The group includes Rick Pitino’s Louisville squad, which is currently ranked no.6 in the country, and likely tournament teams Cincinnati and DePaul. Bet you never thought you’d see Pitino coaching in the Garden again, huh? Believe me, once the Cardinals show up, few will remember B.C. ever left. West Virginia just started that process a day or two earlier than expected.