Buckeyes Now

Ohio State Forward E.J. Liddell Named First-Team All-Big Ten

Freshman guard Malaki Branham also garnered third-team honors from the coaches and media.

Andrew Lind

Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell was named first-team All-Big Ten by the conference’s coaches and media on Tuesday afternoon.

A former four-star prospect from Belleville, Ill., Liddell is averaging 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.6 blocks in 31 games for the Buckeyes this season. He’s just the third player in the last 30 years to average those numbers of the course of the regular season, joining Wake Forest's Tim Duncan in 1996-97 and Rider's Jason Thompson in 2007-08.

A projected first-round pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, Liddell is a finalist for the Karl Malone Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top power forward, as well as one of 15 players on the ballot for the Wooden Award, which is presented to the most outstanding player in college basketball.

He was also named to the Naismith midseason team, which keeps him in the running for national player of the year. The 10 semifinalists for that award will be named on Friday. 

Liddell was a first-team All-Big Ten selection of the coaches in 2020-21, as well, making him just the fifth two-time selection in school history, joining Jim Jackson in 1990-92, Scoonie Penn in 1998-2000, Evan Turner in 2009-10 and Jared Sullinger in 2011-12.

The other players on this year’s first team include Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn, Iowa’s Keegan Murray, Purdue’s Jaden Ivey and Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis, who was also the Big Ten player of the year.

Liddell was also named to the Big Ten's all-defensive team, joining Illinois’ Trent Fraier, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Rutgers’ Caleb McConnell and Purdue’s Eric Hunter.

Freshman forward Malaki Branham, meanwhile, garnered third-team honors from the coaches and media. He also was named the Big Ten’s freshman of the year, becoming the eighth player in school history to win that award.

A former four-star prospect from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Branham averaged 13.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.9 in 29 games (28 starts) for Ohio State this season. He becomes the Buckeyes’ first third-team selection since Duane Washington last season.

Branham is joined on the list by Illinois’ Alfonso Plummer, Michigan State’s Gabe Brown (coaches), Nebraska’s Bryce McGowens, Purdue’s Trevion Williams, Rutgers’ Geo Baker (coaches) and Wisconsin’s Brad Davison (media).

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Andrew Lind
ANDREW LIND

Andrew Lind is an Ohio State beat writer and photographer at BuckeyesNow, founder of The Ohio State Uniform Database and the NCAA and NFL writer at SportsLogos.net.

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