Ellington Heels take Miami

11:30 P.M." SATURDAY JAN. 17 -- After a few weeks of less than stellar play" the North Carolina men's basketball team reassumed its role of national powerhouse Saturday at the Smith Center.

Behind standout performances from junior Wayne Ellington and senior Tyler Hansbrough"" the No. 5 Tar Heels beat Miami 82-65.

After trailing most of the first half and only up by four at halftime" it looked as though the Tar Heels were headed toward another closely contested ACC game. But after a first period that saw him shot 0-for-2" Ellington took over the game from beyond the arc.

In a span of nearly nine minutes" Ellington hit seven consecutive 3-pointers as North Carolina (16-2" 2-2 in the ACC) expanded its lead from 41-38 to 74-55. The seven threes were the most made by a Tar Heel since Rashad McCants made eight against Clemson in 2004.

""It felt great" Ellington said of his hot shooting. I hadn't been shooting it the way I've been wanting to all season long so it was good to finally get me a game to boost some confidence to get me in a groove" get me in a rhythm.""

Ellington's night overshadowed another solid game from Hansbrough who scored 20 points in the first half en route to a 24-point"" seven-rebound evening.

Guard Jack McClinton led the Hurricanes (13-4" 2-2) with 21 points but faced tough defense from the Tar Heels throughout the game. McClinton the ACC's leading 3-point shooter" finished the game 3-for-10 from beyond the arc.

Check Tuesday's Daily Tar Heel for more about the game.