BYU loses Richie Saunders for season after torn ACL: What this means for the Cougars

BYU guard Richie Saunders announced on social media that he has suffered a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

Saunders was a key piece for No. 22 BYU alongside highly touted freshman AJ Dybantsa. The 6-foot-1 senior averaged 18 points per game, 5.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 49 percent shooting.

Saunders left the Colorado game early after falling while driving to the basket. The Cougars went on to win 90-86 in overtime.

This was likely Saunders’ last collegiate game. He played four years for the Cougars and earned All-Big 12 honors last season. Saunders was the 35th player in Sam Vecenie’s Top 100 NBA Draft rankings.

What does this mean for BYU’s season

The loss of Saunders is another huge blow to the Cougars, who have struggled with depth outside of their chapters. BYU lost veteran Dawson Baker six games into the season, another productive shooter and a returner from last season.

The Cougars were a top 10 ranked team at one point at 16-1, but have lost five of their last eight games. Four of those losses were against ranked opponents.

At their best, BYU has the offensive talent between Dybantsa, Rob Wright and Saunders that would fit any team in the country. They fell by three points to Arizona a few weeks ago and lost by two points to UConn in non-conference play.

Dybantsa demands constant defensive attention, and Saunders took advantage of Dybantsa’s attacking gravity by punishing the team with his shooting, while also being a very capable driver. Wright was another capable player who helped set up Saunders, but now there are questions about whether BYU has the shooting around Dybantsa and Wright to make defense worthwhile.

In The AthleticsIn the latest NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch, BYU was ranked as the sixth seed. The Cougars have six games remaining, including No. 1 Arizona, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 16 Texas Tech, all of which remain formidable Big 12 opponents.