Ben Vander Plas extended both arms wide by his shoulders and soaked in the roar of Virginia fans.

Seconds before, the senior forward stepped into a pass at the top of the key and sent a shot flying toward the rim. When the ball dropped through while barely moving the net, it sent the John Paul Jones Arena into a frenzy. In the midst of a rally in the second half, that moment pushed the Hoos back into the lead and they went on to win their eighth straight home game against North Carolina, 65-58.

On the play in question, the Tar Heels never found Vander Plas. He crossed halfcourt, never changed direction, and just eased into a wide open shot. That was just one benefit UVA received with a small ball lineup on the court for the final 15 minutes.

“That small lineup, it did hurt us,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “He’s a big that can cause some problems because he’s a big that can shoot the ball from the outside. So you put a traditional big on him, now he has the ability to space and in transition he’s not going to the front of the rim, he’s spotting up from 3 so that’s different. And if you put a smaller guy on him, he has the ability, he’s big enough and skilled enough, to be able to post up. He played really well in the second half.”

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