Farmer’s Scoring Has Double-Edged Effect

Desmon Farmer scored a career-high 40 points Thursday against No. 7-ranked Arizona and then got off to a hot start against Arizona State on Saturday, scoring 18 points in the first half before finishing with 26.

And though he averaged 33 points and five rebounds and made a total of 11 three-point baskets against the Wildcats and Sun Devils at the Sports Arena, the senior guard is not holding his breath that the Pacific 10 Conference will name him its player of the week for the first time in his career.

“Nah, not with the split,” Farmer said. “It wouldn’t mean as much anyway with the split.”

Farmer, though, is used to such disappointment. He averaged 20.4 points in Pac-10 play last season but was not selected to the conference’s 10-member first team.

In a strange twist, he may only have himself to blame this week as his teammates admitted to essentially standing around and watching him do his thing in the early going of their loss to Arizona State, a game in which USC blew a 14-point first-half lead and lost by 15 points.

“I was just trying to play, not trying to be the guy,” said Farmer, who is averaging 21.6 points in Pac-10 play. “I was trying to get everybody involved. A lot of guys’ shots weren’t falling.

“We’ve just got to take it one at a time. We’re trying. We’re playing together. Everybody’s losing in the Pac-10.”

Everybody, that is, but No. 3-ranked Stanford (14-0), which USC visits Saturday.

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USC’s last two games against Arizona State have ended with blowout losses -- 108-78 and 100-85. It’s the first time the Trojans have given up at least 100 points to a team in consecutive meetings since 1967, when UCLA beat USC, 105-90 and 107-83.

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A bright spot for the Trojans was the emergence of senior center Jonathan Oliver, who started in place of team co-captain Rory O’Neil against the Arizona schools and was a major presence on defense, blocking six shots while altering many more and grabbing five rebounds in 31 minutes.

“Coach just told me my chance would come,” said Oliver, who was not eligible until Dec. 19 because he was not enrolled as a full-time student for the fall semester.

Oliver, who had not played in the Trojans’ previous two games -- at Washington and Washington State -- was a bust last season, appearing in 17 of 30 games and averaging 2.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 7.8 minutes after being a first-team all-state player at Ventura College.

“With the shot-blocking, we mixed it up a little bit,” Oliver said. “Putting me in there was a little surprise. I think I caught them off guard.”