DALLAS — As the victories mounted, 42 in a row across two seasons, Coach Dawn Staley acknowledged that while South Carolina did not feel pressure, exactly, it did sense the weight of expectation as it sought a second consecutive women’s N.C.A.A. basketball championship.
Going undefeated through the first 36 games of this season, Staley said, was “extremely hard” in an era of growing parity.
“You have to be levels above everybody else because you get everybody’s best effort every time you step on the floor,” Staley said. “And you can’t have any slippage.”
South Carolina never panicked in stressful moments during this N.