Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma basketball: De’Vion Harmon out to start NCAA Tournament

By Chip Rouse

LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 01: Guard De'Vion Harmon #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners handles the ball during the first half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on February 01, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 01: Guard De'Vion Harmon #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners handles the ball during the first half of the college basketball game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena on February 01, 2021 in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Oklahoma basketball team will be without De’Vion Harmon in its NCAA Tournament opening game against Missouri on Saturday.

Head coach Lon Kruger said on Wednesday in a video conference with the media that Harmon tested positive for COVID-19 after the Sooners arrived in Indianapolis on Monday.

This is a big blow for Oklahoma, which will be without its number two scorer and one of its key players when the No. 8-seeded Sooners take on No. 9 Missouri in a West Region matchup at 6:25 p.m. on Saturday. The Sooners will also be without Harmons should they get by Missouri and advance to the round of 32 on Monday, likely against No. 1 Gonzaga.

Kruger said Harmon is in quarantine but doesn’t have any symptoms. He also confirmed that at no other OU player has tested positive for COVID.

Harmon is Oklahoma’s second leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points a game, and second on the team in minutes played. He has averaged nearly 15 points in his last five games, including a 23-point performance in a four-point, double-overtime loss to Oklahoma State.

“It definitely hurts,” said OU’s leading scorer and floor leader Austin Reaves told the OU Daily, the school’s student newspaper. “DeVion’s a really good player with a lot of talent and helps us in a lot of different aspects. This is the way we live now. We’ve been affected by it a couple of times, and you’ve really just got to keep moving forward.”

Harmon is the fifth Oklahoma player to miss games this season because of COVID testing and protocols. Others have been Brady Manek, Jalen Hill, Alondes Williams and Reaves. The Sooners are 2-2 in games in which they had players out because of COVID.

There is some speculation that Harmon might have contracted the virus during OU’s Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal loss to Kansas. The morning after that game, Kansas starter Jalen Wilson, who coincidentally played at the same high school as Harmon, tested positive for COVID and was ruled out for the Jayhawks’ for at least the first- and second-round tournament games.

Asked if he thought there was any connection to the Kansas situation, Kruger said, “Not really. The thought that crossed our mind is there’s no idea where it came from. We’re certainly not aware enough of the medical side to determine where (Harmon) might have contacted it.”

Home/OU Basketball