Richie Saunders’ season is now over.
The BYU guard tore his ACL in the team’s win over Colorado on Saturday, he announced on social media on Sunday afternoon. He will now miss the rest of the season, his final one with the Cougars in his career.
“Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. They mean more than you know,” he wrote on Instagram, in part. “To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking. I’ve loved every moment and every challenge that came with representing the school I love. These past four years have shaped who I am — on and off the court.
“Cougar Nation, thank you. Through the ups and downs, you’ve stuck with me. I’ll never forget that.”
Saunders went down not even a minute into No. 22 BYU’s 90-86 overtime win against Colorado on Saturday night. He crashed down hard awkwardly under the rim after he drove to the basket before kicking a pass back out on the Cougars’ first possession of the game. He remained down for quite some time, and was eventually helped off the court at the Marriott Center. He limped off to the locker room, and did not return.
Saunders is the best player on BYU’s roster other than star freshman AJ Dybantsa. The senior entered Saturday’s game averaging 18.8 points and six rebounds per game while shooting just shy of 49% from the field. He earned first team All-Big 12 honors last season, and was the league’s Most Improved Player.
“I think it sucked the life out of the gym, if I’m being honest,” BYU coach Kevin Young said after the game, via The Associated Press. “You never want to see an injury to any player, but definitely [not] to someone who’s the heart and soul of our team [and] bleeds BYU blue. Just didn’t like seeing it.”
Saturday’s win for BYU pushed the Cougars to 19-6 on the season. It was their second straight win after a rough stretch in which they lost four of five games. The Cougars will take on top-ranked Arizona, which has now lost back-to-back games, and No. 5 Iowa State next week.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
