E.J. Liddell is in the final 15 for one of college basketball's most prestigious individual awards.
Liddell was named Saturday as one of 15 candidates for this year's Wooden Award, which honors college basketball's best player. He's the only player on the award's national ballot who was not on previous editions of the award's watch list this year.
Going into Saturday's final game of the regular season against Illinois, Liddell leads Ohio State with 15.9 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game and 26 blocks. The sophomore forward has led the way for Ohio State to go 18-7 in its first 25 games of the year.
“We are very proud of E.J. and the sophomore season he has put together,” Holtmann said. “This is another tremendous honor for him and he has earned it. I know he is hungry to continue to grow as a player and leader on our team and finish our season strong. E.J. is a special young man has been an absolute joy to coach. We are excited about his continued growth as a player and person here.”
Liddell is one of six Big Ten players among the 15 candidates, along with Illinois' Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu, Michigan's Hunter Dickinson, Iowa's Luka Garza and Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis.
| Name | School | Class | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Bassey | Western Kentucky | Jr. | C |
| Jared Butler | Baylor | Jr. | G |
| Kofi Cockburn | Illinois | So. | C |
| Cade Cunningham | Oklahoma State | Fr. | G |
| Hunter Dickinson | Michigan | Fr. | C |
| Ayo Dosunmu | Illinois | Jr. | G |
| Luka Garza | Iowa | Sr. | C |
| Collin Gillespie | Villanova | Sr. | G |
| Trayce Jackson-Davis | Indiana | So. | F |
| Corey Kispert | Gonzaga | Sr. | F |
| E.J. Liddell | Ohio State | So. | F |
| Evan Mobley | USC | Fr. | F |
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | Villanova | So. | F |
| Jalen Suggs | Gonzaga | Fr. | G |
| Drew Timme | Gonzaga | So. | F |
