Takeaways from No. 25 Arkansas' win over Fresno State

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) reacts after a play in the first half against the Fresno State Bulldogs as forward Nick Pringle (23) and wing Billy Richmond III (24) look on at Simmons Bank Arena. Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

No. 25 Arkansas vs. Fresno State takeaways: Hogs overcome slow start to keep rolling

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Dec 6, 2025 6:35 PM ET

After picking up a big win over No. 6 Louisville on Wednesday, No. 25 Arkansas (7-2) kept things rolling with an 82-58 win over Fresno State (6-4) in North Little Rock on Saturday. Here are three takeaways from the Razorbacks’ blowout win.

Arkansas stifles Jake Heidbreder

Entering Saturday’s game, Fresno State’s Jake Heidbreder was easily the Bulldogs' leading scorer, averaging 20 points per game and shooting 51.2 percent from the field. But the star senior had his worst performance of the season on Saturday and his first game of the year where he didn’t break into double figures. Heidbreder scored only eight points on 1-of-10 shooting from the field. Jac Mani was one of two Bulldogs to get into double digits, and the lack of scoring from their star severely hindered Fresno State’s ability to hang with the Hogs.

Sluggish start gives way to big second half

Neither squad looked particularly interested in playing basketball in the first half of Saturday’s contest. Arkansas put up only 34 points in the first 20 minutes and failed to capitalize on myriad opportunities to extend its lead.

But the second half was a much different story. Karter Knox hit a pair of threes to open the frame, and Arkansas matched its first-half scoring output less than 11 minutes into the second half. With better ball movement and a faster pace came a much more polished Arkansas offense akin to the version that put up 89 points against Louisville.

Razorback freshmen show out again

It’s not a surprise at this point to see that Meleek Thomas and Darius Acuff Jr. were two of Arkansas’ leading scorers on Saturday, but the electric freshman duo put on a show for the Arkansas crowd. Acuff led all scorers with 18 points on 7-12 shooting from the field, while Thomas contributed 12 in just 21 minutes off the bench. Even Isaiah Sealy, a Springdale (Arkansas) product who didn’t see the floor against Louisville, got in on the action, scoring eight points, grabbing three rebounds and snagging two steals.

Arkansas has a week off before playing No. 19 Texas Tech at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Dec. 13 in a Sweet 16 rematch from March.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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