Over at TrueHoop, Henry Abbott makes a fairly convincing case that the traveling rule is perhaps the most-botched in all of sports. His challenge to readers: re-write the rule so it makes sense. Interesting stuff, check it out.

Another concern he raises is the differences in how traveling is called by NBA, NCAA and FIBA refs. (The NCAA rule is, essentially, If player is wearing Duke uniform, traveling is impossible. But I digress.) Given that traveling is one of the most fundamental rules of basketball, he reasons, shouldn't it be consistent across all levels?

And I'm wondering... should it?

There are dozens of differences between pro and college basketball. The three-point line. The clocks. Quarters vs. halves. Three-point distances. About 20 years ago, the Big East experimented with allowing players six fouls -- a la the NBA -- instead of the usual five -- but that change was scrapped after the 1991-92 season. Maybe it failed because it only applied to conference games.

Or maybe it failed because the college game is fundamentally different from the pro game.

Should the rule books for college, pro and international hoops be exactly the same?