Pat's Patience Has Ended

Manning replaces Bass, Stricklen moves to point

The number "23" was in play at Tennessee's women's basketball practice Monday.

This wasn't a case of former Lady Vols great Chamique Holdsclaw making an appearance and pulling on her retired jersey. Instead, the number served as a grim reminder of the 23 turnovers UT committed in Sunday's 82-68 loss at Auburn.

In one drill, the players had to record 23 defensive stops. In another, they performed 23 defensive slides in rapid-fire fashion.

UT coach Pat Summitt raised the workout's intensity, as well as her voice, in response to Sunday's rout along with a pattern of inconsistent play that has lasted more than three weeks.

"I was trying to be patient,'' she said. "I've lost my patience. It's gone."

Summitt wants to set a new course by demanding more from the players during practice. It won't be quantity - as in longer workouts - but quality, specifically the nature of their effort.

"I've probably been too nice,'' she said. "One thing I can do, I can demand every day. I can hold the bar higher."

Summitt also intends to revamp game-day shooting practices, shortening the length while increasing the pace. She's borrowing from the philosophy of former Tennessee men's coach Kevin O'Neill.

"Without the language,'' said Summitt in a joking reference to O'Neill's salty dialogue. "I love Kevin but the language was a little more than I can handle."

Along with altering practice, Summitt will change the starting lineup, replacing 5-foot-2 Briana Bass with 6-1 Alicia Manning and moving 6-2 Shekinna Stricklen to point guard in place of Bass. The change gives UT more size and sends a message to Bass about upgrading her play.

"I think Bree has got to commit to being a better defender one on one,'' Summitt said. "If she's not really aggressive defensively, that's a liability for us."

Summitt also said that she will consider shortening the player rotation as a means of regulating effort.

After Auburn's aggressive performance on Sunday, Summitt said she told her players: "They made us look like a high school team."

Baugh Update: Forward Vicki Baugh, who has been recovering from a left knee sprain, will not play Thursday against Ole Miss.

Baugh tried to play Sunday but lasted only 19 seconds.

Rankings: Tennessee dropped three spots back to No. 13 in the Associated Press' weekly top 25.

Judging by Auburn's new ranking, beating UT doesn't mean as much anymore. The Tigers, the only undefeated team other than Connecticut, moved up just one spot to No. 5.

Paying Their Respects: Summitt and associate head coach Holly Warlick will attend the funeral Friday of former North Carolina State coach Kay Yow, who died Saturday.

Summitt said that she expects Wolfpack assistant Stephanie Glance, the interim head coach, to become the new head coach.