Steve C Wilson / AP

Boston College's Craig Smith scores on a slam dunk in the first half.

updated 12:03 a.m. ET March 17, 2006

SALT LAKE CITY - A frantic comeback. A few clutch free throws. A couple of overtimes. The only thing missing was an upset, though it was hard to argue with Boston College’s formula for revving up the madness in this year’s NCAA tournament.

Baldheaded BC got the first tournament thriller out of the way in an early game Thursday, a double-overtime 88-76 victory that derailed scrappy Pacific and the Maraker Express.

“People look forward to having the underdog come up and win,” BC guard Louis Hinnant said. “Fortunately, we didn’t allow that to happen.”

Not for lack of trying.

The final overtime was anticlimactic, but the fourth-seeded Eagles (27-7) made this one very interesting for the first 45 minutes against the 13th-seeded Tigers and their star, Christian Maraker.

The Eagles trailed by six early in the first overtime. They rallied and needed a pair of free throws from Craig Smith, a 66 percent shooter, with 4.3 seconds left to tie it.

Earlier, with 9 seconds left in regulation, Maraker took advantage of a defensive breakdown and hit an open 3-pointer to tie the game at 65 — a shot the Pacific fans were cheering even before it left his hands. That capped a Pacific comeback from 13 points down.

“I thought we have a veteran club and we made a very big mistake there,” coach Al Skinner said. “We were fortunate to overcome that.”

On Saturday, Boston College will play Montana in the second round of the Minneapolis regional.

The Eagles advanced by holding Maraker (30 points, nine rebounds) scoreless in the two overtimes, preventing the Tigers (24-8) from advancing to the second round for the third straight year.

MEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT RESULTS Thursday's games ATLANTA REGIONAL G. Washington 88, UNC-Wilmington 85, OT LSU 80, Iona 64 Texas A&M 66, Syracuse 58 Duke 70, Southern 54 MINNEAPOLIS REGIONAL Florida 76, South Alabama 50 Montana 87, Nevada 79 Tennessee 63, Winthrop 61 UW-Milwaukee 82, Oklahoma 74 Ohio State 70, Davidson 62 OAKLAND REGIONAL Alabama 90, Marquette 85 Gonzaga 79, Xavier 75 UCLA 78, Belmont 44 Indiana 87, San Diego State 83 WASHINGTON D.C. REGIONAL Boston College 88, Pacific 76, 2OT Wichita State 86, Seton Hall 66 Illinois 78, Air Force 69 Washington 75, Utah State 61

“I thought this was the first game all year we deserved to win and didn’t,” Pacific coach Bob Thomason said.

It certainly wasn’t hard to see the Eagles sweat their way through this one.

Their heads were glistening, due to Hinnant’s suggestion — made in jest — that the Eagles shave their heads before the game. Surprisingly, the idea caught on.

“I really love my hair, but I had to do it,” Hinnant said. “The rest of the team did it and I can’t let my teammates down.”

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