Oklahoma's De'Vion Harmon sparked Sooners' victory with sorrow on his heart

Sooners' star guard fought through a death in the family and gave his teammates an emotional lift to take down Kansas

Oklahoma upset the ninth-ranked team in the nation on Saturday thanks to an emotional performance by sophomore De’Vion Harmon.

Harmon came out of the gates firing, scoring the Sooners’ first eight points of the game, and carried OU to a 75-68 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.

Harmon’s sensational start was made even more exciting by the fact that he was trading buckets with his childhood best friend, Jalen Wilson, who scored eight of Kansas’ first 11 points.

De'Vion Harmon :: Ty Russell / OU Athletics

Harmon finished the game with 22 points on 50 percent shooting. The boost he provided for his teammates to pull off the upset came from an emotional weight he carried and continues to bear.

Hazel Blunt, Harmon’s great-grandmother, passed away just over a week ago at the age of 95. The loss was certainly on Harmon’s mind leading up to this crucial game.

"I know Big Mama’s watching. I know she was watching over me.”

“It’s been a really tough week,” he said. “My teammates knew it. I wasn't at practice on Thursday cause I went to my great grandma's funeral. It was tough. I know Big Mama’s watching. I know she was watching over me.”

The week was an emotional rollercoaster for Harmon, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Friday while preparing to face his former Guyer High School teammate in one of the Sooners’ most important games of the season. He was somehow able to keep his mind on basketball and rise to the challenge in one of the gutsiest performances OU fans have seen in a long time.

“I know she's proud. It wasn’t about me, it wasn't about playing against Kansas,” Harmon said. “It was about giving everything I have for my teammates, for my family and for all the people who genuinely want to see me succeed. And I just left it all out there on the court.”

His point total matched the season high he set against UTSA and matched against TCU. Harmon’s scoring slowed down following his explosive first game, but has found a rhythm recently. He’s averaging 20 points per game in the Sooners last three contests.

Oklahoma now faces a difficult stretch of Big 12 Conference games coming up, starting with Tuesday's game at No. 5 Texas. Harmon's coaches and teammates know something about him now they may not have fully grasped before. 

“It was about giving everything I have for my teammates, for my family and for all the people who genuinely want to see me succeed. And I just left it all out there on the court.”

“So happy for De’Vion. No one puts in more time, before practice, after practice, competes hard, plays hard every day in practice,” coach Lon Kruger said. “Any time a guy is doing that, you want very much for him to have huge success. De’Vion is doing that right now, with the way he works and prepares, don’t know why that would change.”

There was definitely something special in the air in Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday morning and De’Vion Harmon was able to capitalize on it in a performance that absolutely made his great-grandmother proud.