SportbasketballNCAA Basketball
Richie Saunders scores 26 as No. 9 BYU gets 1st win over ranked foe, beating No. 23 Wisconsin 98-70
In a performance that felt less like a college basketball game and more like a highlight reel on fast-forward, the No. 9 BYU Cougars absolutely dismantled the No.23 Wisconsin Badgers 98-70, finally checking that first ranked win off their season's to-do list in spectacular fashion. The story of the night, without a doubt, was Richie Saunders, who went supernova, draining five three-pointers on his way to a career-high 26 points.It was one of those nights where every time he let it fly, you just knew it was cash, the kind of shooting display that breaks a team's spirit. He wasn't alone in the fireworks show, though.AJ Dybantsa brought the heat with 18 points and six boards, while Rob Wright III was the maestro, dishing out a ridiculous 11 assists—that's three more dimes than the entire Wisconsin squad managed, which tells you everything you need to know about the flow of this game. For Wisconsin, it was a tough watch for their fans.They were ice-cold, shooting a brutal 32% from the field in the first half and getting stuck in these agonizing scoring droughts—one stretch where they missed eight straight shots over nearly six minutes, and another where they clanked five in a row. It was the kind of offensive constipation that you just can't afford against a high-octane team like BYU.The Cougars, smelling blood in the water, pounced immediately. A 13-0 run early, fueled by triples from Saunders, Wright, and Tyler Mrus, set the tone, screaming 'we're here to play.' Even when Wisconsin's Braeden Carrington hit a couple of threes to briefly make it interesting, BYU answered with a 16-4 blitz, capped by a Khadim Mboup steal and dunk that felt like a real 'get that weak stuff outta here' moment. The Badgers did show a flicker of life early in the second half.They managed to claw back to within seven points when Dybantsa, a key piece for BYU, picked up his fourth foul just over two minutes in. But just as you started to wonder if we had a game on our hands, Saunders decided he'd seen enough.He silenced any notion of a comeback with a calm layup and then proceeded to put on a shooting clinic, hitting four three-pointers in what felt like the blink of an eye to fuel a soul-crushing 31-9 run that put the game on ice. The Badgers scored just nine points in a ten-minute span down the stretch—a death sentence against an opponent this efficient.This wasn't just a win; it was a statement. For BYU, it proves their high-ranking is legit and that their explosive, pace-and-space offense can overwhelm even traditionally stout defensive teams like Wisconsin.For the Badgers, it's a serious reality check, exposing offensive frailties that they'll need to fix fast as they head to the Rady Children’s Invitational to face Providence on Thanksgiving. BYU, meanwhile, rides this massive wave of momentum into the ESPN Events Invitational against Miami, looking every bit like a team that could make a deep run in March if they play with this kind of swagger.
#featured
#BYU Cougars
#Wisconsin Badgers
#college basketball
#NCAA
#Richie Saunders
#AP Top 25
#blowout victory
