Richie Saunders’ ACL tear threatens BYU’s hope of deep NCAA Tournament run

No. 22 BYU has won consecutive games for the first time since early January, but Saturday’s 90-86 overtime victory over Colorado came at a price. Veteran guard Richie Saunders sustained a season-ending torn ACL in the win, the team announced Sunday.

Saunders, the 2024-25 Big 12 Most Improved Player and the 10th-leading scorer in the conference this season, left the contest after just 45 seconds. He fell awkwardly on a drive-and-kick on the Cougars’ opening possession and remained on the floor for several minutes as BYU trainers attended to him. Saunders walked into the locker room under his own power and did not return to action.

BYU coach Kevin Young did not provide an update on Saunders’ status in his postgame media availability and said he was waiting, along with everyone else, to learn about the severity of the injury.

“Unfortunate news last night — I tore my ACL, ending my season,” Saunders said in an Instagram post. “Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. They mean more than you know. To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking. I’ve loved every moment and every challenge that came with representing the school I love. These past four years have shaped who I am — on and off the court. Cougar Nation, thank you. Through the ups and downs, you’ve stuck with me. I’ll never forget that.

“My story has never been one of ease. And while I didn’t plan for this, my career is not over. I will return with more fight and more grit than before. My goals haven’t changed. I don’t always understand why things happen the way they do, but I trust that God is in the details. I trust His plan. The next chapter begins the same way I’ve always lived. Work With Faith.”

Along with Texas Tech’ JT Toppin, Saunders is one of just two Big 12 players to score more than 1,000 points over the last two campaigns. He averaged a career-best 18.0 points per game across 25 starts this season and was a two-way standout who also tallied 1.7 steals per contest.

While BYU still boasts its top two scorers — AJ Dybantsa leads the nation with 24.4 points per game and Rob Wright III averages 18.7 — Saunders’ absence for the rest of the season could prove devastating to the Cougars’ chances of making a deep NCAA Tournament run. They had already fallen out of favor as a Final Four contender after losing four consecutive games against ranked opponents.

“It sucked the life out of the gym, if I’m being honest,” Young said postgame. “You never want to see an injury to any player, but definitely to someone who’s the heart and soul of our team, bleeds BYU blue. Just didn’t like seeing it. Unfortunately, you’ve gotta move on. You’ve gotta find a way to come in and channel that emotion.”

The Saunders-less Cougars will have to adjust on the fly against two elite opponents in their next two games. Their first game without the senior guard comes Wednesday at No. 1 Arizona, and they square off against No. 5 Iowa State on Saturday.