Lon Kruger Announces Oklahoma Star Will Miss First 2 Games
HOUSTON, TEXAS - APRIL 01: Head coach Lon Kruger of the Oklahoma Sooners looks on during a practice session for the 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four at NRG Stadium on April 1, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Oklahoma basketball has the odds against them for a long run in the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed, but now the Sooners have an added hurdle, with the absence of De'Vion Harmon.
Harmon is a crucial player for Lon Kruger's squad, averaging 12.9 points per game, good for second on the team. He's shooting 47.7/33/73.2 on the season for the Sooners.
Today, Kruger confirmed that his guard will be out for at least the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Sooners face 9-seed Missouri on Saturday, and if they advance, would likely play No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga on Monday.
De'Vion Harmon recently tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily, the rest of the team has avoided being a close contact with him, but it is still far from an ideal situation for the Sooners.
According to the Tulsa World, Harmon tested positive upon arrival to Indianapolis for the tournament on Monday. He was tested a second time to confirm, and it also came back positive.
In their last game, the Sooners faced Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament, before the Jayhawks had to pull out of that event due to positive tests within the program. So far, the rest of Oklahoma's team has tested negative. Hopefully that continues going forward.
“In no way have we been close to any contact tracing. That was (the NCAA Tournament’s) objective,” Kruger told the media today. “They’ve had protocols in place and they’ve adhered to them … they’ve been in their own rooms and distancing during transportation. No contact tracing with De’Vion.”
Oklahoma basketball and Mizzou tip off at 7:25 p.m. ET on Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Hopefully this is the extent of the disruption to that matchup on Saturday.
