Pat Summitt might misplace her whistle but she won't be losing her train of thought.

Tennessee's women's basketball coach enters every workout this season with a specific motivation in mind, one that's tailored for a predominantly young team.

"I just feel like it's necessary to challenge (the players) every day in practice,'' she said. "They just mentally have to get a lot tougher."

The Lady Vols' toughness will be put to the test beginning with a regular-season opener against San Francisco at 1 today at Thompson-Boling Arena (TV: SportSouth). The game will be preceded by a banner-raising ceremony commemorating last season's national championship.

Since the first official workout on Oct. 17, a team comprised of six true freshmen and a redshirt freshman has progressed farther at this point than many past UT teams. Summitt already is introducing a matchup zone defense, an alignment that often doesn't make the practice agenda until after Christmas.

"I don't know that we've put this much in at this pace in a long time,'' she said.

She offered this assessment on Thursday, after her daily practice challenge, scheduled for 1 hour, 45 minutes, ran a withering 3:15. She put the Lady Vols through the hoops' equivalent of a marathon two days before a game.

"What's more important?" she asked and then answered by saying: "Right now, it's to send a message that this is unacceptable and we're going to get it right if we have to stay here until midnight."

While the Lady Vols aren't lacking in basketball smarts, they've shown some deficiencies in toughness and consistency - at least in Summitt's view.

The team has been prone to practice lulls after the exhibition games or following a day off. The latter was the case Thursday.

"They give in to fatigue,'' Summitt said. "So you know what? That means we're just going to keep sprinting at the end of every practice. If they would not give in to fatigue during practice then they might not have to sprint after."

Tennessee's freshmen have absorbed the brunt of these basketball inquisitions. It's not merely a case of them being so young. The returning players have missed either all or part of both exhibition games, along with practice time.

An MRI has revealed that guard Angie Bjorklund has a bulging disc in her back. She is being treated conservatively and is out for today's game, along with center Kelley Cain (concussion).

Summitt has met with all the rookies individually, gathering their feedback on the process. She has been particularly tough on forwards Amber Gray and Alyssia Brewer and yet they both seem unfazed.

"I know from experience it's good to have a coach yell at you,'' Brewer said. "If they don't yell at you anymore ... not that they don't care about you but they've kind of given up on you in a way."

Gray has made a point of watching practice video with Summitt and encouraging criticism - to a point anyway. During last Saturday's practice, Summitt barked at Gray and asked where she was on a rebound play.

"Coach, I'm over here on the sideline," she answered.

They both laughed. When she's on the court, though, Gray wants her coach to fire away.

"I've told her I don't want her to let down on me intensity-wise,'' Gray said.

Former UT player Abby Conklin remembers what it was like to be in Gray's basketball shoes. She was a favorite target during her career (1993-97).

"I thought my middle name was 'mental midget' " she said.

Conklin is an assistant coach with San Francisco and works on the staff of another former Lady Vol, Tanya Haave. Conklin wondered aloud to her boss about how "cool" it would be for their team to watch a UT practice. She likely had something like Thursday in mind, rather than Friday's shooting and light drills. Still, the Dons watched a portion of the workout from the balcony at Pratt Pavilion, and Conklin thinks they ought to be better for the viewing.

"The intensity is different," she said.

This year has been no different.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.