BYU Survives Overtime Scare Against Colorado

The Cougars survived on an afternoon where Richie Saunders suffered an injury

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

On Saturday afternoon, BYU survived an overtime scare against Colorado. The Buffaloes, who have frankly been terrible on the road, gave the Cougars everything they could handle in the Marriott Center.

The story of this game was the injury of Richie Saunders. Saunders suffered an injury in the first minute of the game and did not return. He was ruled out for the rest of the game, but no further injury update was provided.

BYU point guard Rob Wright III led the Cougars to a victory in this one. Wright III had a career high 39 points on 12/16 from the floor. Wright was a perfect 4/4 from three and 11/13 from the free throw line.

When Saunders went down with an injury, BYU turned to AJ Dybantsa to facilitate the offense. Dybantsa didn't have much room to operate without Saunders on the floor. Still, he put up 20 points, a career high 13 rebounds and 8 assists.

If Saunders is out for an extended period of time, BYU will need multiple players to step up in his absence. Besides Wright and Dybantsa, no other BYU players scored in double figures. Kennard Davis led all other scorers with nine points on 3/7 from the field.

Now, all eyes are on the injury status of Richie Saunders.

Richie Saunders Suffers an Injury

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.

Since Saunders was ruled out of the game, BYU has not provided any further injury updates on Saunders.

Saunders is one of BYU's big three, averaging 18.8 points per game. If Saunders is forced to miss any extended time due to injury, it would be a devastating blow to the BYU basketball team. Saunders provides much more than just scoring. He brings a toughness on defense and rebounding ability. He ranks third on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game.