Ohio State basketball: Liddell, Branham pick up awards

Two Ohio State basketball players picked up some awards from the Big Ten Conference today and they definitely deserved it.

Even though this season hasn’t gone exactly the way some fans have wanted it to, the Ohio State basketball team still has had a couple of guys play great all year. E.J. Liddell and Malaki Branham have been big parts of the great wins that this team has been able to accumulate.

Now, both players are getting recognized for their great seasons. Liddell was named First-Team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media. He was clearly one of the best players in the conference all season long and continues to be the Buckeyes’ one hope of making an NCAA Tournament run.

Liddell finished the season with 19.4 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.6 blocks. He shot 49.5% from the field and 37.5% from three. He was also named First-Team All-Defense because of how good his rim protection was this season.

Branham also picked up a couple of awards. He was named Third-Team All-Big Ten and was also named the Freshman of the Year. Branham really came on in the Big Ten season and finished the year with 13.2 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He shot 49% from the field and a nice 43% from three.

Both of these guys deserve the accolades that they received. It’s just a shame that the players around them haven’t been able to step up late in the season. If Ohio State wants to make a run after the first round of the NCAA Tournament, both of these guys are going to have to be spectacular.

The Buckeyes will be playing the late game on Thursday. Hopefully, they can use four days between games to get a little healthier. That’s something they have to have.