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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginias top tailback, Taquan Smoke Mizzell, is looking forward to getting a break from grueling practices.Mizzell and his teammates will get that break this week when the Cavaliers open the Bronco Mendenhall era Saturday by hosting highly regarded Richmond of the Championship Subdivision.Im looking forward to the games, honestly, Mizzell said Monday. Practice has been kind of tough. Conditioning has been tough, but I dont think (the game) is going to be anything like the practices that weve been having.Mendenhall promised the Cavaliers they would work harder than they ever have, and harder than they ever believed they could, when he was hired last December. The players say that has been the case, and getting a chance to see how that commitment pays off in a game has them eager to get started.Obviously youre always excited for the first game of the year, but I think we just want to show the fans just how much hard work has really gone into what weve been doing and that were trying to flip the culture here, said inside linebacker Micah Kiser, who was selected in a vote by the players as one of three team captains.Thats probably the biggest word -- culture -- from the entrance to what we wear to how we play. Most importantly how we play, Kiser said. Were definitely trying to change the culture here, come out play smart, tough, aggressive, and really not make a lot of mental mistakes or a lot of penalties that was holding us back in the past.The Spiders advanced to the semifinals of the FCS playoffs last season before losing to eventual national champion North Dakota State. They have lost 10 straight in the series, but are highly ranked again heading into this season.I think this is a football team that is really well coached and they know how to win, Mendenhall said. That in and of itself is hard to earn, and they have done that.Mendenhall compiled a 99-43 record in 11 seasons at BYU. He talks of when, not if, Virginia will be a winning team again. The coach said hes anxious to see how his team performs as it begins that transformation.It will be a step-by-step process, he said. Were not going to launch right to the top of the ACC or the polls in Game One. Weve hardly practiced how to come out of the tunnel for heavens sakes to get onto the field, or where players come off the field for breaks. Theres a lot of new things happening here.The coaching staff saved one of the more memorable events of the new era for last Saturday night. Thats when the team gathered in the locker room at Scott Stadium and 61 of them were allowed to choose their jersey and number. The remaining players have not yet earned the right to make a selection, Mendenhall said.The players, broken up into task units, decided in what order their peers could select their number as the coaches looked on.That was probably one of the most special moments Ive had at UVA, center and offensive captain Jackson Matteo said. Its unexplainable, finally coming together as a team and being able to choose the jersey or, as coach Mendenhall calls it, `the treasure that youre going to be putting on your back for an entire season.---The APs college football page: www.collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Hank on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hankkurzjr Cole Hamels Cubs Jersey .com) - Following a late-game loss to the reigning NBA champs, the Toronto Raptors will look to sustain their recent high-level play as they travel to Indiana to take on the Pacers. 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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Kemba Walker keeps hearing from his friends around the league that the Charlotte Hornets wont be as good after losing Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson to free agency in the offseason.Walker doesnt mind hearing that.I kind of like it that way, the Hornets 6-foot point guard said with a big grin. The year we did have high expectations (in 2014-15), it didnt work out so well. So Id rather be the underdog. It works out better for us.Last year the Hornets were viewed as an underdog and won 48 games during the regular season -- tied for third-most in the Eastern Conference -- but were ousted in the first round by the Miami Heat. The Hornets led that series 3-2 and had a chance to close out the Heat and home, but Miami got a huge Game 6 from Dwayne Wade and advanced.For several players, that defeat still stings.The Hornets have made the playoffs in two of three seasons under coach Steve Clifford, but have not been able to make it out of the first round.After giving Nicolas Batum a five-year, $120 million contract, the Hornets couldnt afford to keep Lin, Lee and Jefferson. They replaced them with Marco Belinelli, Ramon Sessions and Roy Hibbert.I honestly wish we couldve brought back the rest of the guys, Walker said. But its business and thats the way this league works. They had great years and they deserved to make a lot of money in this league and they did.Added Clifford: I would say forecasts of our season is kind of mixed. Some people feel that we can be a good team. Others arent as optimistic. I think we can have a very good team.REPLACING OFFENSE: Cliffords main concern this preseason has been finding ways replace the offense the team lost in free agency, especially with Lin and Jefferson.We may not have as much offense in our roster as we did a year ago, Clifford said. Defensively, we were ninth last year. And I believe we can take another step in that direction, which will allow us to play with the balance that we need to be a cconsistent regular season team and a good playoff team, too.ddddddddddddKIDD-GILCHRISTS RETURN: The Hornets only had forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for seven games last season due to a shoulder injury, so Clifford is excited to have his top defensive player back in the lineup.Hes an elite defender, Clifford said. ... He makes our team different. The numbers prove it. The first few years he was here, when he played, we played well. When he didnt play, we didnt (play well). He impacts winning in so many ways.BELINELLIs IMPACT: Clifford is extremely high on Belinelli, a player he has admired for years. He loves the way Belinelli plays in big games and said the veteran seems motivated to improve after a down season.For me, I take it as more motivation right now, Belinelli said. The year I spent in Sacramento was tough for me and tough for the Kings. That kind of thing happens. The most important thing is to be more motivated.Added Clifford: He can do a lot of the things we lost offensively with Jeremy (Lin) and Courtney (Lee).HIBBERTS RESURGENCE: Another player the Hornets are hoping can rise to the occasion is the 7-foot-2 Hibbert, an All-Start just three years ago.He hasnt played at the same level the last two years, Clifford said. And yet, when you watch him on film, I dont see that hes lost anything physically. I think hes hungry to play well again. And I think the way we play will benefit him.BATUMS CONSISTENCY: Batum is the Hornets best player but Clifford doesnt want him trying to do more because hes the teams highest-paid player.This guys been 14-15-12-13 points for his whole career, Clifford said. You dont give him an extension and say hes got to improve to, like, 19 points. He plays how he plays. Ill say this: If he can stay healthy and play at the same level or, hopefully, a little bit better, then well have a great year. ' ' '