BOSTON, Ma. – BYU’s Richie Saunders was named one of 25 finalists for the 2024-25 Lute Olsen Award on Thursday morning. The junior is one of five players from the Big 12 represented on the list.
The award presented to the top player in NCAA Division I men’s basketball is named in honor of Hall of Fame coach Lute Olsen, who won 776 games in 34 seasons, 24 of which were spent at the University of Arizona.
Saunders earned First Team All-Big 12 honors earlier this week after leading the Cougars in scoring at 16.0 points per game. The junior, who scored in double figures 23 times including 10 games with 20-plus, shot 51.4 percent from the field, 43.7 percent from three and 79.8 percent from the field in the regular season.
The league’s most improved player helped BYU finish tied for third in Big 12 play with Arizona as BYU finished the regular season on an eight-game win streak. Saunders averaged 17.9 points per game while shooting a league-best 45.1 percent from beyond the arc. He scored a career-high 30 points in the Big 12 opener against Arizona State knocking down six 3-pointers.
The recipient of the annual award is determined by a 10-member voting committee, which consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
The 2025 award will be announced in San Antonio, Texas, site of the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship.