BYU basketball took a huge blow on Saturday, Feb. 14, with star guard Richie Saunders going down for the remainder of the season with injury.
Saunders, a fourth-year player averaging 18 points per game this season, will miss the remainder of the campaign after tearing his ACL early in BYU‘s 90-86 overtime win over Colorado on Feb. 14. BYU confirmed the injury in a press release on Feb. 15.
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“To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking,” Saunders wrote on Instagram. “… 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.”
Richie Saunders injury
Saunders went down with the injury less than a minute into BYU’s game against Colorado on Feb. 14 after taking an awkward fall. He was down on the ground for a few minutes before being helped to the locker room.
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Saunders was BYU’s best player last season and led the Cougars to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2011. BYU will now rely on true freshman standout AJ Dybantsa and transfer Rob Wright III, who are averaging 24.4 and 18.7 points per game, respectively this season.
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The 6-foot-5 senior guard was the Big 12’s most improved player in 2025 after improving his scoring average from 9.6 points per game in 2023-24 to 16.5 points per game in 2024-25. He ranks eighth in program history in 3-point makes (205) and 15th in 20-point games.
BYU has won two games in a row against Baylor and Colorado after dropping four consecutive games against Arizona, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Houston. The Cougars’ next two games won’t be easy, either, facing Arizona on the road and Iowa State at home without Saunders.
Richie Saunders stats
Here are Saunders’ year-by-year stats at BYU:
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2022-23 (freshman): 5.5 points with 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game
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2023-24 (sophomore): 9.6 points with 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game
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2024-25 (junior): 16.5 points with 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game
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2025-26 (senior): 18 points with 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Richie Saunders injury: BYU star to miss rest of season with torn ACL
