Ohio State basketball: Liddell’s NPOY case dwindling
By Ryan Stano
The Ohio State basketball team looks like they are fully back from the COVID pause that they had to take. Most of the players look like they have their legs back now. That remains true for E.J. Liddell as well, although to a lesser extent than in the non-conference part of the schedule.
Liddell has still been really good this season. He’s still the best player the Buckeyes have and he has the best stats on the team. Liddell is averaging 19.4 points per game, 7.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.8 blocks. He does a little bit of everything for this team.
While Liddell’s stats are impressive, his National Player of the Year hopes are dwindling. That’s because his numbers have fallen since the Big Ten schedule started. That was expected since the Big Ten is one of the deepest and hardest conferences in the country.
It also has hurt that the Ohio State basketball team has lost a couple of games in the month of January. If Liddell wants to get back in the race, he has to play some excellent basketball against some of the best teams in the Big Ten. He’s going to get that opportunity soon.
The Buckeyes take on Purdue next Sunday. They are 4th in the country right now in the polls. A great game against them would help put Liddell back in the conversation for National Player of the Year. That is especially true if the Buckeyes can win that game in Mackey Arena.
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Even if Liddell doesn’t win NPOY, he has still been a great player for the Buckeyes. This team still goes as far as he is able to take them. Liddell cares more about team success than he does individual accolades, so he is only focused on wins.