GRAND FORKS (AP) - Junior college transfer Travis Mertens may or may not be North Dakota's leading scorer this season. But there's no question he will be the team's most versatile scorer.

"He can score inside, he can score outside, he can score off the dribble and he gets to the free throw line a lot," UND Coach Brian Jones said. "He does it all offensively."

Mertens was the 2006 North Dakota Mr. Basketball as a Devils Lake High School senior. He then played two years at Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, where he was the 2007-08 Mon-Dak Conference MVP as a sophomore.

On both teams, he was equally comfortable shooting the 3-pointer and playing inside with his back to the basket. At a mobile 6-foot-5, he's been a difficult matchup for opponents.

"I've been able to muscle my way inside and score off some offensive rebounds," he said. "But if I have an open shot, I'm not afraid to take it. I never wanted to be one-dimensional."

UND needs his well-rounded offensive skills because its top two scorers graduated from a team that finished 15-15. Either forward Emmanuel Little, who averaged about 15 points per game, or guard Ervin Youmans, with a 14-point average, was the leading scorer in 24 of the 30 games.

"Scoring is our biggest concern," Jones said. "Instead of great individual scorers, we'll have to do it as a team. I expect to have a lot of guys score 10, 12 a game."

The returning starters are guard Travis Bledsoe, with a 10-point average and center Derek Benter, who averages about four points per game. Jones said he expects Mertens, O.J. Harrison, who has a seven-point average, and redshirt freshman Pat Mitchell to be other offensive contributors.

"We like recruits who can do a lot of different things like Travis can," Jones said. "Most of our guys are long, lean and skilled."

In its first year as a D-I school, UND has a difficult schedule. The Sioux have no D-I games at home and their road opponents include Texas A&M, Northern Iowa, Montana, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wichita State.

"We have a lot of mid-majors on our schedule, so we'll be able to judge physically and talent-wise where we're at," Jones said. "Our guys are the ambassadors for this move to Division I and they're proud of it."

UND opens its season Nov. 14 at Missouri-Kansas City.