TROJANS SHOWING THEIR TOUGHNESS, PLAY FOR TITLE TODAY USC 79, CAL 62.

Byline: Scott Wolf  Staff Writer

Spring break starts today at USC, but the Trojans delayed any vacation plans at least one more day. Perhaps even longer.

``Nobody could have told me it would be like this,'' point guard Robert Hutchinson said. ``Everyone counted us out.''

The seventh-seeded Trojans officially assumed the role of Cinderella in the Pacific-10 Conference tournament after their 79-62 upset of third-seeded California on Friday night in front of 16,689 at Staples Center.

``This tournament is for us to win,'' said forward Jerry Dupree, who had 12 points and seven rebounds. ``We want to make the NCAA Tournament. We feel we deserve it.''

Whether or not the Trojans (13-16) deserve it, they would earn the conference's automatic bid with a victory over Oregon in the championship game at 3:15 p.m. today.

``That would be an ironic twist to the season,'' guard Errick Craven said. ``I don't think the NCAA Tournament is expecting us to come.''

Not many were, but this will be USC's second consecutive appearance in the title game. In 2002, the Trojans lost to Arizona in the final.

The difference this year is the Trojans know they won't make the NCAA Tournament without a victory over the Ducks. Last season, USC already knew it made the tournament before it played Arizona.

``We were a better basketball team last year,'' USC coach Henry Bibby said. ``But this year we're playing harder. The players believe in what they can do. It's a new season.''

All USC must do to earn its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament is defeat Oregon, a team with which it split two games this season. The Trojans defeated the Ducks by 15 points at the Sports Arena in February.

That's more than the Trojans did against Cal and Stanford, the teams it defeated in the first two rounds of the Pac-10 tournament. USC was 0-4 against the Bay Area schools.

Similar to their victory over Stanford on Thursday, the Trojans played aggressive from the outset Friday and frustrated Cal with stifling defense. The Bears (21-8) made 28 percent of their 3-point attempts and forward Amit Tamir, an all-conference selection, scored 10 points.

Cal committed 21 turnovers compared to eight for the Trojans.

``Our defense did it,'' Dupree said. ``That's what Coach Bibby told us to focus on. We mostly fed off each other.''

Five players scored in double figures for USC, with Hutchinson scoring 10 off the bench. Desmon Farmer led the team with 23 points, five assists and five rebounds. Craven scored only six points but said his low point total demonstrated the newfound strength of the team.

``I love playing like this,'' Craven said. ``I love scoring six points and still winning the game. We can beat anybody right now. We're as deep as Arizona.''

After building a 39-27 halftime advantage, the Trojans quickly blew the game open in the second half. Rory O'Neil's 3-pointer made it 52-33 with 15:08 remaining and the Bears never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Cal's hopes for a comeback were severely limited by injuries. Starting guard Brian Wethers played only 12 minutes, none in the second half, suffering from tendinitis in his heel. Point guard A.J. Diggs did not play after spraining his left ankle late in Thursday's victory over Oregon State.

``Our two highest energy guys were sitting on the bench,'' Cal coach Ben Braun said. ``Those two guys are tough to lose against USC. I thought USC was a high-energy team.''

Just like the 2002 Pac-10 tournament, Dupree has become the focal point. A dunk off an offensive rebound and a tomahawk slam in the second half had the crowd chanting his name, and he motioned them to cheer louder while standing in the lane during a free throw.

``I'm just trying to get the crowd going,'' he said, and then with characteristic bravado, added, ``I knew if we won (Saturday) and (Friday), this tournament is ours.''

STORY LINES

As game turns

USC committed just eight turnovers while forcing California into 21. The Bears averaged 14 turnovers per game during the regular season and the Trojans had more than 16 per game.

Snub of the Year

Desmon Farmer was not voted to the 10-player All-Pacific-10 Conference team despite ranking fourth in the conference in scoring. Farmer had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists against No. 24 Cal on Friday. He had 24 points and six rebounds in the victory over No. 15 Stanford on Thursday.

Numbers game

1-7

USC's record in its final eight conference games. The Trojans lost seven in a row before beating last-place Washington State to qualify for the Pac-10 tournament.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) USC's Desmon Farmer is pumped during his game-high, 21-point performance Friday.

Lucy Nicholson/Associated Press

(2) USC's Robert Hutchinson, left, and Cal's Brian Wethers go after a loose ball Friday during the Trojans' victory in the Pac-10 semifinals.

Kim D. Johnson/Associated Press

Box:

(1) STORY LINES (see text)

(2) GAME RECAP