We're all bright Penn Staters. These ought to be easy questions.

Nittany Lions forward Jan Jagla shoots from 15 feet. The ball goes in the basket. How many points is it worth?

OK, so it's worth two -- that's pretty obvious.

Now the tough question.

Lady Lions guard Kelly Mazzante shoots from 15 feet. The ball goes in the basket. How many points is it worth?

Two, right? That, too, should be pretty obvious, but for some it isn't so clear cut.

For some, a basket scored by Kelly Mazzante is apparently not worth as much. There are those contending that Mazzante doesn't deserve to be considered the Big Ten's greatest scorer, that her 2,642 points are worth less than former Indiana men's basketball player Calbert Cheaney's 2,613.

Mazzante shouldn't be called the men's and women's all-time leading scorer, they say, because the men and women play different games, one that men play faster, higher and, they say, better. Why should they be put in the same category with men?

To believe that she should be is preposterous, they say. Silly Kelly Mazzante. Foolish girls. They think they can hold scoring records over men. Next thing you know they'll think they can vote, sign contracts and own property.

Now, of course that last line is a ridiculous statement.

But so is arguing that Mazzante has no right to hold the Big Ten scoring record over a man.

There are two layers to this debate. One says Mazzante shouldn't hold both records because there should be no implication that she is a better basketball player than any man.

The other -- the one with the feminist undertone -- argues that women deserve to be treated equally for their efforts, that saying otherwise would be like saying women need to find their place again, behind a stove where they belong.

But in any debate between the two opposing layers of the issue lies the gentle cynic saying, "Who cares?"

But really, why should we care?

If the Big Ten wants to call Mazzante its all-time leading scorer, why should we care? Why should there be a debate?

Let's look logically at what it means to call someone Big Ten basketball's all-time leading scorer. It means he/she has scored ... more points ... than anyone else ... who's played basketball in the Big Ten.

Let's apply this genius little theorem to Mazzante.

The two-time All-American plays in the Big Ten. She has scored more points than anyone else who's played Big Ten basketball. Therefore, she is the Big Ten's all-time leading scorer. Simple. This doesn't have to be so difficult.

If I can comprehend this formula, that should tell you that you don't have to be a smart biochemist or chemical engineer to understand Kelly Mazzante deserves to be called the Big Ten's greatest scorer.

Calling Mazzante the Big Ten's all-time scorer means exactly that. It doesn't have to mean anything else. It doesn't have to qualify her talent compared to men, and it doesn't mean that she can beat Calbert Cheaney in a game of one-on-one.

This isn't an issue of men and women and women's place in sports. This is about what's logical and what's fair.

Mazzante is competing at the highest level of college basketball available to her. She puts in 20-plus hours a week perfecting her craft. She's probably dedicated her life to playing basketball since before the age of 10.

That is the same amount of time as men put into perfecting their games. But why then should all of her sweat and determination be discounted?

The fact that she was born with another X chromosome instead of a Y shouldn't take away from the time she put in to get to the top.

The years of playing and the hours of practice would be counted the same as any man's.

Her 15-foot jumper and her 2,642 points should, too.