You know that joke about the two hunters in woods? The one that goes a little something like this:

Two hunters go out hunting in the woods and stumble upon a bear. Obviously agitated, the bear stares at the hunters and starts running at them. The first man drops his gun and starts to run. The second man yells at his friend, “Wait, you’re never going to outrun that bear.” The first man turns and yells back, “I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you.”

It’s an old joke, of course. But it may provide a little bit of perspective when looking at the Kansas basketball team. Despite the growing pains and the inconsistent performances and the early season road blocks, the young Jayhawks are sitting pretty to win – at least a share – of their fifth consecutive Big 12 title.

Don’t believe it? Let’s look at a few numbers. We’re going to study the Real Time RPI rankings of the Big 12 North.

Team Record RPI

Kansas 14-4 38

Missouri 14-3 41

Nebraska 12-4 78

Kansas State 10-6 100

Iowa State 11-6 110

Colorado 7-9 228

By contrast, let’s take a look at the Big 12 South:

Oklahoma 17-1 5

Texas 13-4 24

Baylor 13-3 32

Oklahoma State 12-4 20

Texas A&M 14-4 44

Texas Tech 10-7 101

These number are interesting, although they pretty much point out what we’ve known for the last three or four years. The Big 12 South is significantly deeper than the Big 12 North.

And that means Kansas shouldn’t have much trouble running past its Big 12 North counterparts. The Jayhawks might not have their usual bite, but that may not matter.

Of course, we don’t really need a complicated formula to know that an Oklahoma team with All-American candidate Blake Griffin will be dangerous in March, and that Colorado might be one of the worst Big 12 teams since the inception of the conference.

Boy, are the Buffs lousy.

They lost by 45 (45!) points at Missouri, and they lost at conference juggernaut Texas Tech on Tuesday, which might have been one of their last realistic shots to win a conference game. Then again, they do get two games each against K-State, Nebraska and Iowa State, so even the lost Buffaloes have a fighting chance at a few victories.

And that might just be the best argument for another Big 12 championship trophy for Kansas.

If the Jayhawks take care of business against the North and finish 9-1 or 8-2, and then hold serve at home against the South, you’re looking at 11 or 12 Big 12 victories. And if you want to get crazy and drink a little crimson Kool-Aid, it’s not impossible to imagine Kansas winning 13 conference games.

And, of course, you know what Oklahoma is saying. “Oh no, Oh no.” Oh yea.

Thursday YouTube Sesh

Here’s a warning. If you’re already suffering from Obama-fatigue, you might want to stop reading. This actually doesn’t have much to do with our new president, but rather the party he held on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this past weekend. There were dozens of terrific musical performances. will.i.am, U2, Garth Brooks and Beyoncé just to name a few.

But they really did save the best for last. Bruce Springsteen accompanied 89-year-old folk legend Pete Seeger and Seeger’s grandson for a memorable sing-a-long of the elementary school classic, “This Land Is Your Land.”

Even more interesting is this tidbit: Seeger, who has been a controversial political figure for decades, sang two verses that are often censored from the school-house version.

Type “Pete Seeger” and “This Land Is Your Land” into your YouTube search field and enjoy.

Recommended Reading

Speaking of our new president, The Morning Brew found a couple of nice magazine pieces about our nation’s most high-profile sports fan.

First, in a story cleverly titled, “The Audacity of Hoops,” Sports Illustrated’s Alexander Wolff describes how the game of basketball shaped Obama’s childhood, including his experiences playing high school ball at Punahou School in Hawaii.

Secondly, Esquire’s Chuck Klosterman devoted a few thousand words to Obama’s brother-in-law, Craig Robinson, who took over as the head basketball coach at Oregon State this past offseason. As expected, Robinson was at the inauguration on Monday.

Both stories are worth a glance.

— — Edited by Heather Melanson