Bill Self pointed to something intangible as the reason for his team’s success.

“It’s unbelievable to me how much these guys enjoy competing,” Self said. “The longer they compete with each other, the more they like each other. We’ve had some close teams in the past, but I don’t think we’ve had a team this close.

“There is something about this team and how they get on each other and hold each other accountable. Only teams that really care about each other do those things. It sounds easy in theory, but unless you really love your brother next to you, you’re not going to jump his butt when he does wrong. These guys hold each other pretty accountable.”

Team chemistry has helped Kansas survive its first three tourney games — over Purdue (63-60), North Carolina State (60-57) and North Carolina (80-67), Self indicated.

“These guys, I don’t know if ‘cocky’ is the right word, but they’ve got something about them right now that they just think they can rely on someone to make a play,” Self said.