Harrison Barnes scored 20 of his game-high 27 points in the second half as No. 8 North Carolina rallied from a halftime deficit for an 82-68 road win at Virginia Tech Thursday.

The Hokies (11-7, 0-4 ACC) kept their big home crowd engaged by taking a 39-34 lead into halftime and extending it to 44-36 on Erick Green's 3-pointer early in the second half.

But the Tar Heels (16-3, 3-1 ACC) reeled off a 19-0 run in the midst of a stretch in which Virginia Tech missed 15 consecutive field goal attempts, and neither the crowd nor the Hokies were able to get back in the game.

Barnes led the charge, breaking out after a rough first half. He was 2 of 8 shooting in the first half, but made all six of his field goal attempts in the second half and scored nine points during the pivotal stretch.

The rest of North Carolina's dominant frontcourt did its part, as John Henson posted a double-double with 16 points and 16 rebounds to go with six blocks, and Tyler Zeller added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Virginia Tech got 17 points from Green, who returned after missing Saturday's loss at Boston College with a knee injury. The Hokies have lost four straight to open conference play.

The Tar Heels have won seven of the past eight meetings and 25 of the past 28.