If there is a Big East style of ball, it was on display when Boston College, until recently a member of that league, faced Georgetown in the second round of the East Regional. The formula is simple enough. Careful control of the ball, which is worked, worked, worked inside whenever possible on possessions that eat up the clock. Bruising play on the boards and around a lane crowded with defenders. A take-no-prisoners attitude.

Certainly that was the approach for second seeded Georgetown, which rallied from an eight-point deficit in the second half to defeat BC, 62-55. Only once all year, at Clemson, did the Eagles score fewer points (54).

Georgetown advanced to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season, and on March 23 will play six seeded Vanderbilt, a double-overtime winner over Washington State. The Hoyas are in the same region as North Carolina, the ACC champion.

The loss by Boston College was the fourth for the ACC in its first nine NCAA games of 2007, hardly the sort of dominating performance adherents sought. The Eagles finished the year 21-12 after reaching their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament.

For the Hoyas, the difference maker was 7-2 Roy Hibbert, a nimble center for whom BC had no effective answer. The 278-pound junior had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Big East champions. Guard Jonathan Wallace added 15 points, 11 in the first half, his highest output in seven games. All-American forward Jeff Green had 12 rebounds, 11 points and 5 blocked shots.

The options were less varied for Boston College, which got 41 of its 55 points from perimeter players Tyrese Rice and Jared Dudley. BC was overwhelmed inside. Frontcourt starters John Oates and Tyler Roche failed to score and Tyrelle Blair had 5 points coming off the bench as the Hoyas blocked seven shots and bothered countless others.

Georgetown jumped to a quick 12-2 advantage, then was discombobulated for the remainder of the first half as BC switched to a zone defense. The Eagles led 30-26 at halftime, and increased their margin to 39-31 on a long 3-pointer by Rice with 15:26 remaining. The nifty left-hander finished with a game-high 22 points.

But Georgetown -- with coach John Thompson III directing from the bench and reserve Patrick Ewing Jr. playing extended minutes in a modern replay of the program’s glory years more than two decades ago -- took play right at BC and seized control. The Hoyas grabbed the lead for good with just under eight minutes remaining, and outscrapped the Eagles for loose balls and errant rebounds when the outcome hung in the balance.