On their way to the first of three consecutive Final Four appearances, the Heels clinched the first of their regular season crowns under Dean Smith with a defeat of their rivals from Durham.
UNC Downs Duke
CHAPEL HILL, N. C. (AP) -- Larry Miller scored 21 points in the second half as North Carolina's Tar Heels pulled away to rout Duke 92-79 and win the regular season basketball championship in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The victory earned the Tar Heels top seeding for the conference championship tournament starting at Greensboro March 9.
North Carolina, ranked third nationally in The Associated Press poll, had a 43-41 lead at halftime. Great outside shooting by Miller ignited the Tar Heel offense in the second half as North Carolina began pulling away. He wound up with a total of 29 points.
Duke's Bob Verga, however, grabbed high scoring honors with 34 points. He scored 22 points in the second half and had several driving layups good for three-point plays.
Early in the second half Duke's Mike Lewis drew his fourth foul and was sidelined most of the half.
North Carolina built up a 13-3 lead in the first half, but the Blue Devils fought back to gain a one-point lead 17-16.
North Carolina regained the lead 25-24 with 8:39 left in the half on a layup by Dick Grubar.
North Carolina had a shooting percentage of 49.3 from the floor compared to 38.7 for Duke.
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