It's no secret, without Noah Hartsock, BYU could be in big trouble.
The senior forward is a game-time decision for tonight's WCC quarterfinal game vs San Diego. BYU looked fine without him in the regular season finale against Portland, but the Cougars can't afford to slip up from here on out.
A loss to the Toreros tonight and BYU might not receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. To be honest, I see BYU winning pretty easily with or without Hartsock in the quarterfinals. And I don't expect Noah to play tonight. But let's say BYU makes it to the semifinals where they'll face Gonzaga. Then what?
BYU is a different team when Noah's on the floor. He's the guy other players look to when the team needs a big play. He's clutch.
If you've ever had a sprained knee before then you know how it goes. It's a tough injury. You lose strength and you're not nearly as explosive on the floor.
No matter when Hartsock gets back out on the court, don't count on him being 100%. So can BYU win the WCC Tournament without him? Sure. But I wouldn't bet on it. Not even in Vegas.
