GAME 10: FRESNO STATE (6-3, 0-0 MW) vs. No. 25/23 ARKANSAS (6-2, 0-0 SEC)
December 6, 2025 | 1 p.m. PT | Little Rock, Arkansas | Simmons Bank Arena
MEDIA COVERAGE
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast
Watch: SEC Network+
Play-By-Play: Brett Dolan | Analyst: Joe Kleine
Listen: Bulldog Sports Network
Play by Play: Paul Loeffler | Analyst: Marc Q. Jones
FOLLOW ALONG ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter (X): @FresnoStateMBB
Instagram: @FresnoStateMBB
TikTok: @FresnoStateMBBall
FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State is hitting the road for its toughest challenge of the season yet as the Bulldogs face No. 25/23 Arkansas in North Little Rock, Arkansas, at Simmons Bank Arena.
The Bulldogs concluded November going 6-3 before their first true road game of the season at Arkansas.
BULLDOG BONES
Head Coach Vance Walberg is in his second season at the helm of the Bulldog Basketball program and his fourth season as a head coach overall.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 6-26 season going into 2025-26, with a total of two conference wins, against Air Force and Wyoming.
Fresno State started the 2025-26 campaign with seven straight home games; all played at the Save Mart Center.
This is the first time in program history that the Bulldogs have a seven-game home stand to start the season.
The Fresno State men's basketball team looks a little different this season, with 73% of the roster being newcomers to the squad.
Fresno State returns only four athletes this season: Troy Jenkins, Makhan Diouf, Zaon Collins and David "DJ" Douglas, Jr.
Of the four, Collins is the Bulldogs' only returning starter and letterwinner.
DJ Douglas, a transfer from Green Bay, played in six games for the Bulldogs in 2024-25 before his season was cut short due to injury.
Troy Jenkins and Makhan Diouf both redshirted for the 2024-25 season and did not see game action.
THE DOG / HOG CONNECTION
Fresno State Head Coach Vance Walberg, Associate Head Coach John Welch, and Arkansas Head Coach John Calipari have a long-standing history and connections in the world of basketball.
Walberg is credited with creating and developing the dribble drive offense system that was adopted and used by Calipari in his coaching career.
Welch worked under Calipari during his time at Kentucky before Welch was added to the Fresno State staff.
A BRIEF HISTORY WITH THE RAZORBACKS
Fresno State will face Arkansas for the first time since 2017.
This is the Bulldogs' toughest matchup of the season so far, as Arkansas is the first nationally ranked opponent on the schedule.
Fresno State has faced the Razorbacks twice before, once on the road and once in a neutral-site matchup, both resulting in losses within eight points.
LAST TIME ON THE FLOOR
The Fresno State Bulldogs returned to historic Selland Arena on Sunday, battling the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners in front of a season-high crowd of 4,376 members of the Red Wave.
Fresno State fell 76-71 to CSUB, putting the Bulldogs at 6-3 on the season going into December.
Fresno State out-rebounded CSU Bakersfield 43-31.
The Bulldogs forced 10 turnovers but committed 16 of their own.
Fresno State attempted 33 three-pointers, making eight.
Wilson Jacques recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
1,000 POINT CLUB
With 18 points scored against Utah Valley on November 15, the senior Jake Heidbreder surpassed 1,000 career points.
So far, the guard has scored 180 points in a Bulldog uniform and owns a .512 shooting percentage, .343 from three, and averages 36.6 minutes per game.
Heidbreder is making an impact on a national scale as well, ranking 45th in the country in field goal attempts (121), 16th in the country in field goals (62), 9th in the country in minutes per game (36:34), 17th in the country in points (180) and 49th in the country in three-point attempts
WE'LL BE TAKING THAT
Fresno State ranks 39th in the country and third in the conference in turnovers forced per game.
Through nine games, the Bulldogs average 15.78 forced turnovers per game.
Fresno State also had a season-high 28 points off turnovers against UCSD and tied that high against Pepperdine.
The Bulldogs have outscored opponents off turnovers in all but two game so far this season.
In total, the Bulldogs have scored 176 points off turnovers this season compared to opponents' 111 points off turnovers.
WITH THE ASSIST
Zaon Collins, one of Fresno State's only returners on the 2025 -26 roster, has led the Bulldogs in assists in all nine games so far this season.
He tied a career high with nine assists against Pepperdine on Wednesday.
Currently, the junior guard ranks 21st in the country and first in the Mountain West in the category.
FRESH START
Fresno State welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster this season: three transfers and 8 eight freshmen.
Cameron Faas, Jake Heidbreder and Jac Mani all transferred from NCAA DI basketball programs.
Of the eight freshmen, seven are international students.
WELCOME (BACK) TO THE MOUNTAIN WEST
Transfer Jake Heidbreder is on his third stop in his college career.
Heidbreder started his career at Air Force, where he spent the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
He then transferred to Clemson after his second year at Air Force, redshirted for the 2023-24 season, and returned to the court for the 2024-25 season.
Heidbreder returns to the Mountain West for his final year of eligibility at Fresno State.
VALLEY ROOTS RUN DEEP
When Vance Walberg was named the Bulldogs' head coach, he emphasized the community, doing things for the Central Valley because Fresno State is the Central Valley's team. That message resonates with not just Walberg but also with his staff. Of the program's six coaches, five have previously lived in the Central Valley.
Walberg has spent more than 20 years coaching in the Valley at Clovis West HS and Fresno City College.
John Welch was a member of Jerry Tarkanian's staff at Fresno State from 1995 to 2002.
Ray Barefield grew up in Fresno and prepped down the street from campus at Hoover HS, graduating in 1989. He is in the school's Hall of Fame.
Chris Stahowski played for and coached alongside Walberg. He also graduated from Fresno State in 2007.
Tory Stamps grew up in Fresno and played at Central HS, graduating in 2012.
