Lars Mikalauskas scored on this post move Tuesday night.

There is little doubt that Laurynas Mikalauskas is a crowd favorite at the John Paul Jones Arena. Many of the signs decorating the student section are dedicated to the 6’8″ junior and one frequent poster the last two seasons has a panel that alternates between “Leave Lars In” and “Put Lars In.” Of course, recently it could have said “Bring Lars Back … Please!”

It’s no wonder then that Mikalauskas received a rousing ovation when he reported to the scorer’s table on Tuesday night against North Carolina – the fans may have had separation anxiety it had been so long since they’d seen the fiery post player. He missed 13 games with a shoulder injury (he last played against Longwood on Dec. 7), leaving the Cavs with a serious depth issue at the center position when combined with Tunji Soroye ‘s injury issues.

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