A healthy Travis Bledsoe means a healthy UND offense -- a unit that has struggled to put up points for much of the season.
And Bledsoe's health of late is just fine. UND's offense, as a result, has been medically cleared.
The play of Bledsoe, the leading scorer in the Great West Conference, is a big reason for UND's turnaround of late.
The Sioux, who have won three of their last four, host SIU-Edwardsville tonight at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center. UND is trying to sweep the Cougars after the Sioux left Edwardsville, Ill., two weeks ago with a 57-50 win.
Bledsoe spent much of the season trying to recovery from bruised pelvic bone. He's recovered enough to lead the Sioux in scoring (12.5 points per game). But in Great West Conference play, Bledsoe is averaging 21 points.
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"It was frustrating," Bledsoe said of his nagging injury. "I hurt my pelvic bone early in the year, lifting and things like that. I tried to play through it but it took its toll on me.
"But I knew it'd be a matter of time before I got it all back. I made the statement at the beginning of the year that we'd be playing our best basketball toward the end of the season.
"That's what we do here. We figure it out late in the year. It takes a while to get our chemistry together. That's changed every year since I've been here."
Bledsoe, recruited by former coach Rich Glas, has averaged 17 points in UND's last three wins, two coming in the Great West.
With Bledsoe's injury, the Sioux have not had a true point guard running UND's Princeton-based offense. There is no go-to player in the UND offense. Bledsoe, however, knows it's important for him to score.
"This is an equal-opportunity offense," he said. "But when the shot clock is winding down and we need a bucket, I try to make things happen.
"The guys look for me to score. And the more I score, the more I can get my teammates open."
Bledsoe is UND's best shooter, averaging 49 percent from the field and 39 percent on his 3-point attempts. Since he's been at full health, UND's overall shooting percentage has improved as well.
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"We've been in the gym a lot, playing shooting games," Bledsoe said. "It's paying off."
The Sioux are 3-3 in the Great West at the halfway point of the league season. A healthy Bledsoe could make things interesting for UND down the stretch.
South Dakota leads the league, as the Coyotes have lost only one game.
The Sioux have four of their final six Great West games at home. UND's trend under fourth-year coach Brian Jones has been strong finishes.
"On any given night, anyone can beat anyone in this league," Bledsoe said. "We think we have as good of a chance as anyone."
Bledsoe also is closing in on 1,000 points for his career. He needs to score 44 points to reach that milestone and become the 30th player in the program's history to reach that mark.
Nelson reports on sports. Reach him at (701) 780-1268; (800) 477-6572, ext. 268; or send e-mail to wnelson@gfherald.com .
