KANSAS CITY, Mo. – BYU’s Richie Saunders has been named NABC First Team All-District, the organization announced on Tuesday morning.
The honors for the Mountain District were voted on by NABC-member coaches from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
The Big 12 Most Improved Player of the Year and first team all-league player averaged a team-high 16.0 points per game for a BYU team that enters the NCAA Tournament as a six-seed in the East Region for the second consecutive season. He is on pace to become the fifth player in program history to shoot 50/40/80 as he is shooting 50.9 percent from the field, 43.3 percent from three and 81.7 percent from the free throw line.
Richie Saunders had himself an afternoon vs. Iowa State
— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) March 13, 2025
6/12
23 Points
5 Assists
2 Rebounds
1 Block#Big12MBB | @BYUMBB pic.twitter.com/ApSynGYIWb
The Riverton, Utah native has scored in double figures 25 times this season, four more than he had in his first two seasons in Provo combined. He scored 20 or more points nine times in league play including a career-high 30 points in a win over Arizona State on New Year’s Eve. He is one of three players in program history to connect on 50 or more 3-pointers in a single conference season Jimmer Fredette (2010-11) and Chase Fischer (2015-16).
Saunders and the Cougars open the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 20, against 11th seed VCU at Ball Arena in Denver. Tip is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. on TNT.