How 1 team has already equaled last year’s win total

The Mountain West has gotten off to a rocky start to begin the 2025-26 season. Many of the conference’s top teams have dropped games to lower-level competition in non-conference play, potentially compromising the conference’s opportunity to secure more than two bids in the NCAA Tournament.

However, one team has completely changed its fortunes — in the other direction.

Last year, Fresno State went 6-26; through eight games this season, the Bulldogs have matched last year’s win total after crushing Pepperdine, 76-53 (behind a dominant 49-18 second half).

What has changed? Let’s examine a few factors!

One of the biggest differences has been the drastic improvement in the team’s offensive efficiency — particularly around the rim.

While Fresno State is still a below-average 3-point shooting team, its finishing has been considerably better. Through eight games, Fresno State is shooting 65.9 percent on non-dunk 2s at the rim, a top-50 mark nationally. In 2024-25, it shot 53.0 percent, a bottom-25 mark.

Jake Heidbreder, Zaon Collins, DeShawn Gory and Jac Mani are all shooting over 62 percent at the rim (min. 10 attempts), while only two players (Alex Crawford and Amar Augillard) exceeded that threshold last year.

Fresno State’s defense has, sneakily, been very disruptive to start the season. They are forcing turnovers on nearly a quarter of their possessions with excellent ball pressure and connectivity. Through eight games, they are a plus-18 in turnover margin, forcing at least 15 in five of their eight games.

Last year’s unit wasn’t nearly as disruptive, nor did they deter many shots around the rim. Fresno only forced turnovers on 18 percent of their possessions, forcing 15 only six times!

Heidbreder has been one of the conference’s most potent scorers, while Collins has been one of the better setup men. Heidbreder is averaging 20.0 points on 51.9 percent shooting and 35.6 percent from 3-point range. He’s a stone-cold bucket getter. Collins has also been considerably more efficient, but he’s improved as a rebounder and playmaker, despite coughing up the ball slightly more on similar usage.

Together, Collins and Heidbreder have complemented each other quite well offensively through eight games. Should they sustain that, don’t be surprised if either competes for All-conference honors.

DeShawn Gory has been one of the Bulldogs’ best players, while Wilson Jacques, Gasper Kocevar and DJ Stickman have all been impactful role players off the bench. Gory’s the head honcho of the foursome, though. He’s averaging 10.0 points and 3.4 rebounds on 53.4 percent shooting and 60.1 percent true shooting in 21.3 minutes per game.