We anticipate receiving word today on whether starting forward Noah Hartsock is likely to play in Thursday's critical game at Gonzaga.

Toward the end of BYU's win against Santa Clara on Saturday, Hartsock crumpled to the floor under the weight of an opposing player and writhed in pain for several minutes as trainers examined his left knee. Hartsock returned a few minutes later and finished the game, but the issue facing his availability Thursday is how badly the knee has swollen in the interim. BYU head coach Dave Rose will report today how Hartsock's knee has fared over the weekend.

BYU is already shorthanded due to injury - missing forward Chris Collinsworth and guard Stephen Rogers as well as having several other players hampered with minor injuries. As always, Dave Rose has done an excellent job shuffling his lineup, and despite setbacks, the West Coast Conference title is still within BYU's reach. However, losing one of the team's most complete players at this point of the season would be devastating to BYU's chances to win the WCC and compete in the NCAA tournament.

Hartsock has played through injury before - albeit less serious. Let's hope he is well enough to do it again.