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BYU’s Richie Saunders claims tater tot king status as he leads to the Sweet 16

The good luck has been a big deal for Saunders

Ore-Ida not only changed its name in honor of Saunders, but the company is giving away free tots across the country from tipoff to the final buzzer of BYU’s Sweet 16 game. If BYU wins their first national championship — they’re 80-1 longshots, according to BetMGM Sportsbook — Ore-Ida will release a new limited-edition product: “Richie’s Tater Shots,” inspired by his shot.

“It’s been a super-fun partnership,” Saunders said. “It’s been so random, but so awesome. They’ve been super good.”

Saunders’ connection to the tater tot became big news during the Big 12 Tournament, and the story followed him last weekend to Denver, where BYU beat VCU and third-seeded Wisconsin. Saunders — who’s averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in the tournament — not only studied the game plan but took on a potato pitch.

“I think Ore-Ida has done a really good job because they jumped on the ship real quick,” he said. “They flew a team to Denver when we were there. I think a lot of it is up to them if they want to try to cash in just like I feel like they have. Tater tots have been sold out in Utah County this whole week.”

While some coaches might worry about the tots being a distraction, Young told his players to embrace all the new chances in the NIL world.

“Balancing all that has been interesting, especially during a time like this where your focus needs to be so high,” Saunders said. “Usually, I like to just kind of segment myself. I’m going to worry about NIL and all that stuff after the season. (Young) has kind of helped me, for example, being a professional basketball player, you have to have these kinds of conversations during the season.”

BYU and Wisconsin in the 2nd half

This is just the beginning for BYU: Win or lose against the Crimson Tide, the Cougars will have top recruit AJ Dybantsa next season, who made headlines this year after signing an NIL deal with BYU reportedly worth between $5 million and $7 million.

Not everyone is a fan of the tater tot: Three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt — who played college football at Wisconsin — posted on social media that he was “boycotting tater tots for the next 48 hours” after BYU beat the Badgers last weekend.

That’s good news in Utah and for all the BYU fans. More tots for everyone else!

“It’s kind of funny to have tater tots be like the whole thing with the whole team now,” BYU guard Trevin Knell said. “Every time we go to team meals, we’re always joking about, where’s the tater tots. But shout-out to Richie and his great-grandpa, honestly.”

BYU hires an NBA coach and brings a professional style to college basketball and March Madness

With each player signed, every name, image, and likeness deal made, and every athlete or coach who moves from one team to another without much notice, college basketball is becoming more similar to professional basketball.

Instead of resisting this change, BYU made a smart decision: It hired a coach directly from the NBA.

Kevin Young’s transition from the NBA to the NCAA is already benefiting the Cougars, with the potential for even more success in the future.

After defeating VCU, BYU secured its first March Madness win since 2012. The sixth-seeded team now has a chance to make it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011, when Jimmer Fredette was leading the team, by winning against No. 3 seed Wisconsin on Saturday.

Regardless of the outcome against the Badgers, BYU is set to welcome AJ Dybantsa next season, the nation’s top recruit. Dybantsa made headlines this season after signing an NIL deal with BYU worth between $5 million and $7 million, according to reports.

This is all part of the strategy set by 43-year-old Kevin Young, who surprised many last spring when he took the job and boldly stated his goal of building an NBA-style program, aiming to bring in NBA-level talent to strengthen the team.

The most recent player drafted from BYU was Fredette, back in 2011.

“We weren’t necessarily focused on hiring an NBA coach,” said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe, who had interviewed Young when BYU was last searching for a coach. “The most important thing we were looking for was a great coach with strong basketball knowledge. But at that time, what he had to offer was different and special.”

Everything feels more like the NBA at BYU

With Young as the head coach, BYU plays fast, focusing on 3-point shots, where they rank 23rd in the nation in attempts, or getting easy points in the paint. This style of play has helped BYU reach 10th in the KenPom offensive efficiency rankings.

The Cougars spend a lot of time watching film. Holmoe says they’ve placed a stronger emphasis on nutrition and brought a professional touch to their fitness and weightlifting routines.

The coaching staff now includes 20 people, including graduate assistants, compared to UConn’s two-time defending champion staff of 11. Some of these staff members have experience in the professional leagues. Holmoe said this has created “a structure that’s different, and that we kind of had to adapt to.”

To recruit players with this NBA mindset, Young brought in Egor Demin from Moscow. Demin is a 6-foot-9 player who can shoot, handle the ball, and pass, and he might only stay one season.

Next year, Dybantsa will join the team, bringing his skills and the message that BYU is a place for players who dream of having success in March and possibly making it to the NBA.

“We’ve been able to kind of put this in place and merge this NBA style with college basketball,” said Doug Stewart, an assistant with Young at the Delaware 87ers of the G-League who came to BYU to be his chief of staff. “I think that’s been an attractive piece for people to grab a hold of.”

Young sought new challenges by leaving the pros

The question still remains as to why Young, who left a $2 million-a-year job as an associate coach with the Suns and had built his career in the pros, would give that up to coach in college basketball.

Many coaches who make a name for themselves in college try to move up to the NBA, but far fewer do the opposite, like Young did.

Part of his decision was based on his faith — Young is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Another part, as a story in the Deseret News explains, was a long text he received from his wife, Melissa, who emphasized the importance of spending more time with family.

“That text was a pretty spiritual experience for me,” Young told the newspaper.

In his media interview on Friday, Young said he saw this as a new challenge. He was excited about the opportunity to take a program that had been successful for a long time and try to push it to new heights.

“Once I started really, really to think about it, I kind of relished the thought of being able to take a program that’s been really good for pretty much its entire existence and try to move the needle to places it’s never been to,” he said.

In Wisconsin, BYU will see a bit of itself

It’s happening. Holmoe admits it’s happening faster than he thought.

“We thought it might take more time to warm up and really get this thing going,” he said.

Next, they’ll face the Badgers, who also average more than 28 3-point attempts per game and are ranked 13th in the KenPom offensive efficiency.

“It’ll probably be 50-48,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard joked before pointing out how similar the teams are.

As is always the case in March Madness, Young and his team must quickly prepare a scouting report. With 17 years of experience in professional basketball, including seven years in the NBA, Young is used to turning around information fast.

“There’s tons of reference points,” he said. “I always think, ‘We tried this against Jayson Tatum, we tried this against Luka (Doncic),’ whatever the case may be. There are certain things that are different, obviously, but for me, that gives me a lot of comfort. I think it gives our players comfort.”