BYU Star Richie Saunders Ruled Out for the Season

Saunders suffered an injury in the first minute of BYU's win over Colorado

Feb 14, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars guard Richie Saunders (15) is helped off the court after an injury during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

In the first 45 seconds of BYU's home game against Colorado, BYU star Richie Saunders suffered a non-contact injury. Saunders jumped up to deliver a pass and came down awkwardly on his knee. Saunders immediately grabbed his knee when he went to the floor.

Saunders was helped up by BYU's trainers. On his way to the locker room, Saunders walked on his own power and gave a thumbs up to the crowd. It appeared that Saunders told the crowd "I'm good" on his way to the locker room. However, Saunders stayed in the locker room and was later ruled out for the rest of the game.

On Sunday, BYU provided an injury update on Saunders. "BYU's Richie Saunders suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the first minute of the Cougars' 90-86 overtime victory over Colorado Saturday afternoon."

Losing Saunders for the season is a devastating blow to the BYU basketball team.

Saunders was one of BYU's big three, averaging 18.8 points per game. Saunders provided much more than just scoring. He brought a toughness on defense and rebounding ability. He ranks third on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game.

Things went from bad to potentially much worse for BYU when, in the same half, Robert Wright III suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury. Fortunately for Wright and BYU fans, he was able to come back into the game after five minutes on the bench.

With Saunders in the locker room, BYU turned to reserve player Tlyer Mrus. Mrus answered the bell, knocking down a pair of threes in the first half . The Cougars shot 7/11 from three as a team in the first half and took a 37-32 lead into the halftime locker room.

With Saunders off the floor, BYU turned to AJ Dybantsa to initiate the offense. Dybantsa consistently found open teammates all while putting up point himself. He finished the first half with 20 points, 8 assists, and 13 rebounds.

The Saunders injury put a damper on what was going to be a day of celebration in Provo. At halftime, BYU retired the number of former BYU star Jimmer Fredette. As Kevin Young said, Saunders' injury took the energy out of the building.

Without Saunders in the lineup for the rest of the season, the Cougars desperately need role players to step up. To this point of the season, that hasn't happened yet. BYU has been heavily reliant on AJ Dybantsa, Rob Wright III, and Richie Saunders.