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De'Vion Harmon to Miss Oklahoma's 1st 2 NCAA Tournament Games Due to COVID-19

Jenna CiccotelliAnalyst IIMarch 17, 2021

Oklahoma guard De'Vion Harmon passes the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa State, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Oklahoma guard De'Vion Harmon told reporters Sunday that playing in a March Madness game would fulfill a lifelong dream. But he'll have to wait a bit longer to achieve it. 

Sooners coach Lon Kruger said Wednesday that Harmon returned a positive test for COVID-19 and he would miss the first two rounds of tournament play (h/t Jeff Goodman of Stadium).  

Harmon averaged 12.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game for Oklahoma this season. 

"Players have this as a goal, so it's so sad for De'Vion," Kruger said, per John E. Hoover of Sports Illustrated. "He's not gonna have that opportunity the first weekend. We challenged our guys to win a couple and so he can come back next weekend." 

Harmon, an All-Big 12 honorable mention, was the team's second-leading scorer behind Austin Reaves, who was named an Honorable Mention on the Associated Press All-American Team and earned a spot on the All-Big 12 first team. 

He made significant progress from his freshman year, hitting 47.7 percent of his shots from the field this year after shooting 36.4 percent through 31 appearances as a freshman. 

After a 15-10 campaign that ended in a quarterfinal loss to Kansas, the Sooners drew a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. They are slated to tip off against No. 9 Missouri in first-round play on Saturday at 7:20 p.m. ET.