BYU and Texas tip off their NCAA Tournament first-round matchup at the Moda Center in Portland tonight, and both teams enter with depleted rosters. The injury situations couldn’t be more different in scope, but they each tell a story about what got these programs here, and what stands between them and the second round.
Richie Saunders Out for Season with Torn ACL
The Cougars lost their emotional leader and second-leading scorer on February 15 when senior guard Richie Saunders went down with a season-ending torn ACL just 45 seconds into a game against Colorado. The 2024-25 Big 12 Most Improved Player fell awkwardly on a drive-and-kick and grabbed his right calf, staying down under the basket for several minutes before walking to the locker room under his own power.
“To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking,” Saunders posted on Instagram after the diagnosis. “I’ve loved every moment and every challenge that came with representing the school I love.”
Saunders has shifted into what CBS Sports described as “Coach Richie” mode, but the on-court impact of his absence is massive. In the 10 games since he went down, BYU’s offense has become almost entirely dependent on AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III—the two have finished the vast majority of the Cougars’ pick-and-roll possessions, showing just how much weight they’re carrying.
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Saunders was averaging 18.0 points per game before the injury, providing three-point gravity that opened up everything else BYU wanted to do offensively. BYU went 5-5 without him, including wins over Iowa State and Texas Tech at home, before stringing together Big 12 Tournament victories against Kansas State and West Virginia.
Kevin Young’s squad has found something defensively in recent weeks, and the coach has leaned into that identity heading into Thursday. “You can’t just make stuff up,” Young said. “You have to rely on the things you’ve done throughout the course of the season. This team has sunken their teeth into defense, rebounding, playing together offensively.”
Lassina Traore Ruled Out for Texas
For Texas, reserve forward Lassina Traore has been officially ruled out and has not played since February 3. The 6-foot-9 big man hurt his knee in a win over South Carolina on that date and has missed every game since.
Sean Miller delivered a blunt update on Selection Sunday: “I don’t think that he’ll be with us, unfortunately, moving forward.”
Traore followed Miller from Xavier to Texas this season after missing all of 2024-25 with a torn ACL suffered in preseason. In 23 games before the injury, he averaged 3.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15.8 minutes, providing valuable frontcourt depth as the Longhorns’ best rebounder off the bench.
Nic Codie has stepped into the rotation in Traore’s absence and provided competent minutes, but Texas doesn’t have much margin for error up front with freshman bigs John Clark and Lewis Obiara both redshirting.
What This Means for Thursday Night
The injury imbalance heavily favors neither team. BYU lost its most important player behind Dybantsa, while Texas lost a role player. But the Cougars have had over a month to adjust, and they’ve found something in that time.
Dybantsa has actually elevated his game since Saunders went down, averaging 28.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 13 games since the start of February. The 6-foot-9 freshman leads the nation at 25.3 points per game on 51.3% shooting and is the betting favorite to go first overall in June’s NBA Draft.
Texas survived a slugfest against NC State in Tuesday’s First Four, with Tramon Mark hitting an 18-foot game-winner with 1.1 seconds left to secure a 68-66 victory. The Longhorns now face a quick turnaround, flying cross-country to Portland while BYU has been resting since Sunday.
KenPom gives BYU a 60% chance to win with a projected final score of 84-81. The Cougars rank 10th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency while Texas ranks 95th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Both teams know what they’re working with at this point. BYU has accepted life without Saunders and found a way to win games. Texas hasn’t had Traore for six weeks. The matchup Thursday is about execution, not excuses.
Tipoff is set for 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS.
