CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- Tyler Zeller scored 16 points to help No. 3 North Carolina beat Miami 73-56 on Tuesday night.
Dexter Strickland added 14 for the Tar Heels (15-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who closed a nine-game home stand with a perfect record to rebuild some momentum after early losses to UNLV and Kentucky. The Tar Heels led almost the entire night against the Hurricanes and blew the game open with a 17-0 run spanning halftime, which staked UNC to a 23-point lead.
That was the biggest deficit of the year for the Hurricanes (9-6, 0-2), who got no closer than 15 points from there. The lopsided loss followed a one-point loss at Virginia over the weekend in coach Jim Larranaga's first ACC game on the Miami sideline.
Frontcourt star Harrison Barnes struggled to a season-low six points on 2-for-12 shooting, but the Tar Heels' often-overlooked backcourt picked up some of the slack.
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