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USC’s NCAA tournament dreams shattered in season-ending loss to Arizona

LAS VEGAS —

For a few minutes, the dream looked plausible.

Five days after beating Arizona on its home court, USC was outplaying the Wildcats again with sticky defense and a snail’s pace that favored the Trojans.

A second consecutive upset would clear the biggest remaining hurdle toward USC’s hopes of winning the Pac-12 tournament and the resulting automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Unleashing a shrewd plan to counter an offensive juggernaut, the Trojans forced steals and grabbed offensive rebounds, irritating the Wildcats and their restless fans. Ten minutes in, Arizona — averaging a conference-best 89.