After tumbling to a 0-7 start to conference play in mid-January, Northwestern appeared deflated and lost. But returning from a two-game West Coast swing against USC and UCLA, splitting the contests, it appears the ’Cats have found new resolve. On the trip, NU started three freshmen — guard Jake West and forwards Tre Singleton and Tyler Kropp — as they defeated a USC team that started then-25-year-old guard Chad Baker-Mazara. Junior guard Jordan Clayton felt that shift, and told The Daily that the team’s “vibe” changed in Los Angeles. Despite starting 1-10 in conference play, they finished the regular season with a 5-2 record.