The Bulldogs have had a great fortnight of basketball and are ranked again.

Now, before the ink is dry on the ballots, we're asking if they're overrated.
Apparently, we are now tired of asking whether any team is "this year's George Mason." Butler cannot lay claim to being this year's George Mason -- they have done more at this point in the season than George Mason did all year last season leading up to Selection Sunday. With wins over Notre Dame, Indiana, Tennessee, Gonzaga and Kent State, Butler has put itself into a great position to be a postseason team.

Here are the pros and cons on their No. 18 ranking:

Pros: Butler deserves the ranking, having beaten more ranked teams than any other team out there. Based upon the mantra of who you play and who you beat, Butler may be ranked too low. Sure, the Bulldogs are a bit small, but they have good guards who can control tempo, handle pressure and shoot it from deep. This is a very good team that is top-20 worthy. Butler can play, and a ranking of No. 18 reflects the huge wins over the Irish, the Hoosiers, the Vols and the Zags. It's only fair.

Cons: Oh, now they are "huge" games to beat those teams, huh? What has Butler done that Maryland hasn't done? Why are the Terps playing second fiddle to the Bulldogs when Maryland has bludgeoned St. John's, beat Michigan State (which beat Texas the night before) and took out such quality mid-majors as Winthrop and Vermont? Why is Butler's performance better than that, or better than Michigan State's? The Spartans aren't even ranked, and they beat Texas and barely got clipped by Maryland.

Remember, Butler beat Notre Dame (an NIT team last year), Indiana (an NIT team last year), Tennessee (a team without a big guy that presses so much, you can get any shot you want if you don't turn it over), Gonzaga (another mid-major that just slew a giant and is not great defensively) and Kent State (another mid-major that got blasted by Ohio State).

Look, Butler is really good and deserving of respect, but we wouldn't be giving this kind of respect to Providence or Purdue if they had won the same games in the same way. Hey, if you think Butler is better than Maryland, have at it. But we are really just guessing and rewarding a good week based upon a Hoosier tug at the heartstrings. I can't wait for January, when Marquette gets to claim a huge win over Notre Dame and Kentucky can claim a huge win over Tennessee.

These polls are nearly worthless until February, anyway. They are really just for fun and to determine whose highlights get on "SportsCenter" first. There are not enough games or results to make them reliable. Do you really believe that Ohio State is No. 1?

I want the BCS for basketball! Butler and Ohio State for all the marbles!

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