The No. 23 BYU Cougars won a pair of crucial games this week to snap their losing streak, but a critical injury to star Richie Saunders makes their job significantly harder moving forward. 

BYU began their week with a 99-94 road victory over the Baylor University Bears, Tuesday night in Waco, Texas. 

Freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa led the way with 36 points for the Cougars, while former Baylor guard sophomore Robert Wright III had 30 points against his old school.

Fellow freshman Tounde Yessoufou led all scorers with 37 points in a losing effort for the Bears. 

Perhaps the biggest takeaway for BYU was its improved free-throw shooting. The Cougars made 20 of 25 attempts, finishing at 80% for the game.

The Cougars then hopped on a plane back to Provo to prepare for Saturday game against the University of Colorado Buffaloes.

The game started with an energized BYU crowd, but that energy was soon sucked right out of the building when Saunders went up for a rebound and came down clutching his right knee just 45 seconds into the game. 

Saunders, assisted by BYU’s training staff, gingerly made his way to the locker room to be evaluated by the team doctor.

Saunders announced via an Instagram post Sunday that he has a ruptured ACL and his BYU basketball career is over.

"Unfortunate news last night — I tore my ACL, ending my season," Saunders wrote. "Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. They mean more than you know. To end my BYU career like this is heartbreaking. I’ve loved every moment and every challenge that came with representing the school I love."

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle gave his condolences to Saunders postgame, but also mentioned how Saunders being out changed the game Saturday. 

“We knew when Saunders went down that, you know, that's [an] advantage [for] Colorado, without a doubt,” Boyle said.

BYU battled hard without their senior leader, barely grinding out a 90-86 win over Colorado. 

Wright had a career day for the Cougars, pouring in 39 points on 12-16 shooting, including a perfect 4-4 day from deep. 

The biggest play of the day for Wright, however, was a pass he made with 1:21 to go in overtime. With the game tied at 82, Wright drove through the lane and made a perfect kickout to freshman Aleksej Kostić for a wide-open three. 

That Kostić triple, only made possible by Wright’s drive, gave BYU an 85-82 lead. They clung to that lead the rest of the way.  

In the end, BYU walked away with a 90-86 overtime victory.

Cougars head coach Kevin Young mentioned postgame that there are no nights off when you play in the Big 12. 

“Yeah, glad we got the win, bottom line,” Young said. “You know, it's hard to win…we had a lot working against us tonight. Proud of our guys for stepping up.”

Close wins were not what BYU hoped for this week against two of the conference’s weaker teams. Still, at this stage of the season, a win is a win.

Saturday was also jersey retirement night for BYU legend Jimmer Fredette. The team held a ceremony at halftime down on the floor, highlighted by Fredette’s iconic number 32 hanging from its new home in the rafters of the Marriott Center. 

An emotional Fredette thanked the BYU faithful for all their support over the years. 

“To be able to have that experience with my family has been pretty, pretty speechless,” Fredette said. “I worked really hard at it to be able to get to where I am in this position, but that fades eventually, especially if you don't treat people the right way.”

Fredette’s legacy at BYU is one of incredible joy for many as he brought the school to the forefront of many national conversations with his remarkable shooting abilities.

With that in mind, here are a few things to watch going forward for BYU. 

 No-Saunders struggle

Saunders’ absence deals a serious hit to BYU’s lineup, but the Cougars know there is little time to dwell. In sports, opponents do not offer sympathy.

Saunders was having another incredible year, averaging 18 points and nearly six rebounds a night. 

For BYU to be successful, the team will need to somehow account for those 18 points and six rebounds they’ll be missing. 

This will likely be a collective effort from the Cougars' role players; Seniors Mihailo Bošković and Keba Keita, juniors Tyler Mrus and Kennard Davis Jr. and freshman Dominique Diomande and Kostić will all need to take on bigger roles in the absence of Saunders.

Postgame, coach Young said Keita is battling an injury and acknowledged he needs to play better after recent performances below his standard.

The Cougars still have two all-American caliber players in Wright and Dybantsa; they now just need to fill the roles behind them. 

Doesn’t have to be pretty

Saturday was a perfect example of what BYU games may look like moving forward.

BYU needed all hands on deck to beat Colorado and will likely need similar efforts in all their remaining games. 

With Saunders hurt, Dybantsa’s load will be more taxing, and he will need moments where he can catch his breath.

It’s in those moments that these role players like Keita and Davis need to step up and carry the scoring load.

Coach Young mentioned postgame how his stars really enjoy playing with shooters like Kostić. 

“You know, I've talked to AJ about it. He's, ‘yeah, I like playing with Alex because he knows how to get to the spots and make easy passes for me,’” said Young. 

Look for BYU to insert Kostić into the starting lineup with the absence of Saunders.

Choose the Wright

This was an incredible last week for Wright and his Cougars. Not only did the team pick up two wins they desperately needed, but Wright scored over 30 points in both games, something he had never done prior to last week. 

The loss of Saunders is devastating, but it seems Wright is coming into his own at the perfect time to step into that leadership role Saunders held. 

With Wright and Dybantsa firing on all cylinders, BYU remains one of the best offenses in the country. 

It will be interesting to see how the Cougars respond to adversity Wednesday night when they travel to Tucson, Arizona, for their rematch with the No. 4 University of Arizona Wildcats.

Arizona scraped an 86-83 win in Provo back on Jan. 26. 

BYU will look to avenge that loss and get a potential season-making victory Wednesday night. Arizona is vulnerable, but will also be desperate, having lost their past two games leading up. 

“I mean, I think we should have won the one at home,” Dybantsa said. “So, I mean, we're coming in ready. We're going to have the scouting report ready, going to trust the staff and go get a win.”

Tipoff for that game is 7 p.m. Wednesday, and it will be broadcast live on ESPN.