Richie Saunders, a senior guard for the No. 22 BYU Cougars, sustained a season-ending torn ACL just 45 seconds into their 90-86 overtime victory over Colorado on Saturday. The injury occurred in Provo, Utah, during the team's opening possession. Saunders, the 2024-25 Big 12 Most Improved Player, shared his heartbreak on Instagram while expressing faith in his recovery.
The incident happened when Saunders fell awkwardly on a drive-and-kick play, remaining on the floor for several minutes as trainers attended to him. He walked to the locker room under his own power but did not return. BYU coach Kevin Young described the moment in postgame comments: "It sucked the life out of the gym, if I'm being honest. 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."
Over four seasons at BYU, Saunders appeared in 128 games, scoring 1,544 points on 50.2 percent field goal shooting, 38.7 percent from three-point range, and 78.8 percent from the free-throw line. He ranks eighth in program history for three-pointers made (205) and attempted (530), 12th in steals (133), and holds other notable positions in 20-point and 30-point games. This season, the 10th-leading scorer in the Big 12 averaged 18.0 points and 1.7 steals per game across 25 starts, one of only two conference players with over 1,000 points in the last two campaigns alongside Texas Tech's JT Toppin.
In an Instagram post, Saunders reflected: "Unfortunate news last night -- I tore my ACL, ending my season. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers... To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking... My story has never been one of ease... I will return with more fight and more grit than before... Work With Faith."
The loss impacts BYU's lineup, which still features leading scorers AJ Dybantsa (24.4 points per game) and Rob Wright III (18.7 points per game). After recent losses to ranked opponents, the Cougars face challenges ahead, including a game at No. 1 Arizona on Wednesday and No. 5 Iowa State on Saturday.
