The Huskies were reeling after a loss at Cincinnati to open the conference season and were beat up again at South Florida, 75-60, on Jan. 4. Rather than resign themselves to another miserable season, the Huskies began to transform. They responded with a win over Tulane four days later and over 6 1/2 weeks, though they have lost seven of the 12 games, every one has been close and fiercely competitive. They have not collectively played so poorly, nor shown such droopy body language, nor been beaten by more than seven points since.