Big Ten media rank Hoosiers 3rd

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- About a year ago to the day, men's basketball coach Mike Davis sat at a table similar to the one he was at Sunday morning. Of course, then he was the Hoosiers' interim men's basketball coach.\nSitting in a large ballroom at the Doubletree Hotel-O'Hare Rosemont just outside of Chicago Sunday for the 2001 Big Ten Basketball Media Day, Davis reflected on how things have changed. Now, he is the Hoosiers coach, without the interim.\n"Last year, everybody was at my table. It's like they don't love me anymore," Davis joked with reporters.\nInstead of answering questions from the national media about his job status, Davis tried to talk more about his basketball team and what is in store for the Hoosiers this season. At the same time, the questions kept coming up about how much things have changed for him in a year.\n"I think a lot of offices had pools that were betting how long I would last," Davis said. "I was afraid last year and uncertain last year about a lot of things because I had never run a basketball practice. \n"There were a lot more things I hadn't done before."\nThings have changed just as much for the players. On the court, Kirk Haston is playing in the NBA. IU has a couple of new freshmen in guard Donald Perry and forward Sean Kline. Defense is still a main component of the team, but the Hoosiers have more sets in their offense that will be expanded compared to last year.\nBut maybe the biggest difference is the players know who their coach will be next season.\n"Last year we had a lot of pressure to win and have a good season so (Davis) would stay," junior guard Tom Coverdale said. "Now that pressure is off."\nSenior Jarrad Odle, who was also in Chicago yesterday along with sophomore Jared Jeffries, said the team feels better about where they stand now than last year at this time, much like their coach does.\n"I think it's definitely a new start," Odle said. "Last year was a new situation, but this year feels like a new start into the season. Things have fallen into place to get ready for the season.\nAlso on Sunday, the Big Ten announced the picks for how the conference will play out this season. Illinois, coming off an Elite Eight appearance last March, was picked unanimously by the coaches and the media to win the conference.\nThe coaches and the media also agreed in picking Iowa to finish second and IU third. Jeffries was named to the Preseason All-Conference Team, joining Luke Recker, a former Hoosier, and Reggie Evans from Iowa, Frank Williams from Illinois and LaVell Blanchard of Michigan.\nWilliams was also selected as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. He was the 2001 Conference Player of the Year.