(4) Boston College vs. (1) Villanova

Boston College left the Big East for the ACC this season. Now it’s a team from that conference that stands in its way of reaching a regional final for the first time in 12 years.

The fourth-seeded Eagles (28-7) face former Big East foe and No. 1 seed Villanova (27-4) in the Minneapolis Regional semifinals on Friday, the first meeting between the teams in the NCAA tournament.

The Wildcats own a 51-24 advantage in the all-time series, but since the start of the 2000-01 season, the Eagles have won seven of 10 meetings.

Villanova has reached the round of 16 for the second straight season with wins over Monmouth and Arizona, while Boston College is in a regional semifinal for the first time since 1994 after knocking off Pacific and Montana.

For the Wildcats to advance to their first regional final in 18 years, they’ll have to defeat their old rival away from home after playing the first two rounds at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia—located 12 miles from their campus.

“We really enjoy as a team the time that we spend together, just coaches, players hanging out,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “We always get that on the road. There is an enjoyment to being on the road for us and that’s what Minneapolis will be like.

“We think we’re even tighter on the road. We’re going to really take advantage and enjoy that.”

Villanova’s unconventional four-guard lineup—led by Allan Ray and Randy Foye—could pose problems for Boston College’s frontcourt of Craig Smith and Jared Dudley, especially after those four guards combined to score 60 points in Sunday’s 82-78 win over Arizona.

The Eagles, though, say they can adjust to any style of play.

“Run around the outside—do whatever we’ve got to do,” Smith said.

Despite the small lineup, Villanova has outrebounded its opponents by 47 this season and grabs 36.2 boards per game. Boston College averages 35.4 rebounds a contest.

“We’re always going to play our style of basketball. I’m not sure we’re going to vary it a lot,” Eagles coach Al Skinner said. “We’re going to stay true to ourselves. If you don’t, you’re really setting yourself up for failure.”

Smith and Dudley have combined to average 45.0 points and 20.0 rebounds in the first two rounds, so rather than switch things around to try to match up with the Wildcats, Boston College will try to take advantage of its size at the other end.

“Who’s going to guard Craig and Dudley?” freshman Tyrese Rice said.

Villanova center Will Sheridan and forward Dante Cunningham should get that assignment.

Sheridan shot 7-for-8 from the field and scored 16 points, and Cunningham grabbed a career-high nine rebounds against Arizona.

“One of the things you can’t hide is how a player is going to play in the most stressful conditions, when the big lights are on,” Wright said. “You throw them into the fire, you see how they respond. You know if they’re a player or not. You can just see it in their face. You can see it their confidence level. And in those two, they responded the best in the biggest game.”

The winner will face seventh-seeded Georgetown or No. 3 seed Florida in the regional final Sunday.