Snubbed Farmer on Own Bandwidth

Desmon Farmer, USC’s most emotional player, didn’t let loose with a primordial scream.

He didn’t flex his tattooed arms and bounce on the balls of his feet, as he does at key moments of games.

Sure, Farmer felt wronged when he was excluded by the league’s coaches from the 10-man All-Pacific 10 Conference first team. But he was decidedly low-key about it.

In fact, the junior guard, whose 20.4 scoring average in conference games ranked third, dismissed the suggestion that he would make Stanford pay for his omission Thursday in the Trojans’ first-round Pac-10 tournament game.

“I don’t think I need anything to drive me for the tournament,” said Farmer, who also led the conference in three-point baskets with 47 and was fourth in free-throw percentage at 84.3%. “That’s going to come automatically because I’m hungry to get to the NCAA [tournament].

“I’m surprised. I’m definitely surprised but I ain’t going to let it wear me down, you know? I’m still going to stay on my toes and be ready to play in this tournament.”

Still, Farmer acknowledged that the Trojans finishing in a three-way tie for sixth place at 6-12 with Oregon State and UCLA might have affected his standing.

“I see guys on there that did worse than us [as a team],” Farmer said, “but I ain’t going to say no names.”

He doesn’t have to. He can just point to his headband.

USC finished with a better overall record, 11-16 to 9-18, than UCLA. And the Trojans swept the Bruins this season for the first time since 1992. But it was another headband-wearing shooter -- UCLA senior forward Jason Kapono, whose 17.4 scoring average in conference tied for fifth -- who was feted as a first-teamer.

In the Trojans’ sweep of the Bruins, Farmer averaged 26.5 points to Kapono’s 11.

Farmer acknowledged that he expected to make first team, rather than honorable mention, especially because he was among the league’s scoring leaders.

“I guess the other teams’ [coaches] didn’t see talent,” he said.

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Sophomore guard Errick Craven said he was taken aback by Coach Henry Bibby’s claim that “a lightbulb had come on” over Craven’s head this week, that Craven has finally realized after a season’s worth of double teams that he needs to pass more when driving the lane.

“I don’t see myself as being a selfish player,” said Craven, who has 68 steals and 68 assists but 69 turnovers. “But sometimes I just see myself as being invincible, that I can go through two [defenders].”