The BYU Cougars are one of the top teams in college basketball, but saw guard Richie Saunders leave yesterday’s game with an injury. We did not have any updates about his status, but he is an impactful player for the program. With the regular season winding down and the Big 12 Tournament plus NCAA Tournament coming close, his status is significant. Let’s take a closer look at what was announced about his status.
Richie Saunders suffers a torn ACL, will miss the remainder of the season
Senior guard Richie Saunders has been one of the top players for the program this season. As a leader of the program, he has proven his ability to be a leader both on and off the court. However, on Saturday afternoon, just 45 seconds into the game against the Colorado Buffaloes, he fell awkwardly after driving to the rim and kicking a pass out.
He would leave the game and walk to the locker room on his own power, and there was no update on his status throughout the game. On Sunday, the BYU Cougars published a press release announcing that Saunders has suffered a torn ACL, meaning he will miss the remainder of the season.
Saunders has been a star for the program and is going to be remembered for his performances statistically. Below are his career stats in his 128 games with the program and where they rank in BYU history:
- 3-point field goals made: 205 (8th)
- 3-point field goal attempts: 530 (8th)
- Steals: 133 (12th)
- 20-point games: 26 (15th)
- 30-point games: 3 (17th)
- Free-throw percentage: 78.8 (20th)
- Steals per game: 1.04 (20th)
In 25 games during his senior season, he has been a force on the court for the Cougars. He played 31.4 minutes and finished averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 1.7 steals. Saunders also had a 48.9/37.6/81.7 shooting split this season.
The loss of one of their best players is going to be difficult to overcome, but they have talent with AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III leading the charge to make them still have hope for March Madness. It will be intriguing to see how the BYU Cougars look with their star guard no longer able to help them on the court.
