Beating Colorado on Saturday was supposed to be a formality. No. 22 BYU was on the heels of a road win at Baylor, and the Buffaloes have been struggling lately. It also seemed like the perfect day to pack the Marriott Center with a matinee and retire Jimmer Fredette’s No. 32 jersey.
As far as checking those boxes, the Cougars did hold off Colorado 90-86 in overtime behind Rob Wright’s 39 points. Halftime festivities were spectacular as Fredette was honored for his dominance on the floor and his excellence off it.
However, a key injury to star forward Richie Saunders turned Valentine’s Day into a heartbreaker for him and his team. Just 45 seconds into his 128th game, Saunders jumped and landed awkwardly. He went down to the floor and immediately grabbed his right knee.
After a few minutes with the team trainers, Saunders got up and walked the length of the court to the locker room. The 6-foot-5 senior who grew up in the Marriott Center cheering for BYU, lifted both arms high into the air before he disappeared into the team tunnel as if to say to the crowd, “I’m OK.”
He wasn’t.
Evaluation in the locker room and further testing at Utah Valley Hospital determined Saunders tore his ACL and is lost for the rest of his final season. In an instant, not only did the Big Three become the Remaining Two, but the Cougars lost their glue guy who Kevin Young calls “the heart and soul” of his team.
To his credit, after earning first-team All-Big 12 honors last season, Saunders returned for his senior year to play with the likes of AJ Dybantsa and Wright and take BYU to where it has never gone before — a Final Four. Instead, 45 seconds into the game, it became the final Saturday for Saunders, who averaged a critical 19.8 points, six rebounds and 32.6 minutes.
The injury shifts him into a cheerleader role as BYU (19-6, 7-5) travels to No. 1 Arizona (23-2, 11-2) and hosts No. 5 Iowa State (22-3, 9-3) next Saturday. The NCAA Tournament begins next month.
Watching the Fredette ceremony in the wake of the Saunders injury was reminiscent of Jim McMahon’s jersey retirement at halftime of the BYU-Utah State game on Oct. 3, 2014. With a full house and peak excitement at LaVell Edwards Stadium, Taysom Hill suffered a season-ending leg injury near the end of the second quarter.
Seeing their quarterback being carted off the field seemed to drain the life out of the team and Utah State upset No. 18 BYU in Provo for the first time since 1978. Thanks to Wright’s herculean effort, Young’s Cougars avoided the same fate against Colorado, but the aftermath of Saunders’ injury could impact the rest of the way just as losing Hill altered the football season.
Young and his massive staff have an even bigger challenge on their hands.
Saunders joins Dawson Baker, Nate Pickens and Brodie Kozlowski as key pieces of BYU’s roster that won’t be available down the stretch. That puts even more pressure on Keba Keita, who is nursing a sore hand, Kennard Davis Jr. and what has been an underperforming bench up until Saturday when they produced 18 points.
Still, the Cougars showcase the potential top pick in the NBA draft and the nation’s leading scorer in Dybantsa and Wright, a game-changing point guard. They also remain in the hunt for a lofty NCAA Tournament seed.
With Saunders over the last three and a half seasons, the Cougars evolved into a top-20 program. The returned missionary married Sierra Johnson. He secured healthy NIL compensation, is closing in on his degree — and he made Tater-Tots cool again.
Saunders is a success story whose BYU basketball journey ended with an unlucky landing that tweaked his knee the wrong way. Now it’s up to his teammates to rise in his absence and keep the season going.
A broken heart and torn ACL make for a rough Valentine’s Day — especially for a player who is loved by so many. If there is any good news, it’s that both mend with time. The next shot we see Saunders sink will be in the NBA — probably later than sooner, but only a fool would doubt his heart and determination to get there.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.