Davis says he is nervous about this season

Yes, this is a new season for men's basketball coach Mike Davis and his Hoosiers. IU no longer feels like they are playing for Davis' job now that he is their coach without the interim label.\nBut Davis said he will feel the same as last year when he opens his second season directing the Hoosiers as IU travels to Charlotte to take on the 49ers 7:30 p.m. Sunday night.\n"It's not different," Davis said of his anticipation. "I'm still nervous."\nWith two preseason wins behind them, the Hoosiers will play for real Sunday, taking on the 49ers in Charlotte for the first time ever. The 49ers lost three starters from last year's 22-11 team, but their guards will still be a problem for IU.\nCharlotte's backcourt features senior Jobey Thomas and sophomore Demon Brown. The Hoosiers will likely spend most of the game by countering with three guards on the floor. Still, Davis said the 49ers guards will be dangerous.\n"They have two guards back who can score," Davis said. "We can't let them get 15 to 20 points each. They have good guards."\nIU Guards junior Tom Coverdale, senior Dane Fife and junior Kyle Hornsby have shown they have the ability to score from the perimeter. Davis noted this is a change from last year, when most of the offense didn't come from the outside.\nAlso, Davis said he has confidence in freshman point guard Donald Perry and attributes the improved play of Coverdale and the other guards to Perry's presence.\n"We have three guards now that will be a threat," he said. "I trust Donald Perry."\nBut defense is another matter and the IU backcourt will face a tough test in guarding a player like Thomas, who can hit from long range. Davis said he is worried that he might not have enough on the defensive side of the ball to slow down the 49ers.\n"We have one guy on the perimeter who can defend, and that's Dane Fife," Davis said.\nCharlotte coach Bobby Lutz disagreed, saying that both Fife and Coverdale gave the 49ers a difficult time in the Hoosiers' 76-72 win last December at Assembly Hall.\n"Coverdale is one tough son of a gun," Lutz said. "Fife does a great job and is a great defensive player. They just make game-winning plays."\nPerry said the 49ers play a fast paced game and the Hoosiers will have to try to keep up with them.\n"They shoot a lot of three-pointers and play up-tempo," Perry said. "They're guard-oriented and take a lot of jump shots."\nA big difference between last season's game and this year's matchup is the absence of Kirk Haston for IU and Rodney White for the 49ers.\nWhite left school after his freshman year and was taken with the ninth pick of the NBA draft last summer by the Detroit Pistons. His departure leaves Lutz with a problem as he tries to figure out how to guard sophomore forward Jared Jeffries.\n"We'll use two and three (defenders) at a time," Lutz said. "If they'll let us use six, we'll double team him. He's a lot like Rodney White, but he's bigger and really creates match-up problems.\n"We'll throw different people at him."\nHaving seen IU last year and now preparing for them again, Lutz said he sees a much more offensive team that can put points up in bunches. Lutz also said the same of the tough defense that wore down the 49ers late in last season's game.\n"They look more comfortable with their set offense," he said. "They play tough defense, but we have a little better feel for them. We played well for 20-some minutes last year and then fell apart."\nCharlotte opens its season tonight as it plays host to Davidson at Halton Arena. But for Davis and the Hoosiers, Sunday will be the first game that counts. While Davis might be nervous, Perry can't help but be enthusiastic.\n"We're getting ready to go," he said. "I'm excited"