Ohio State's E.J. Liddell Finally Earns His Respect from Oddsmakers

The No. 21 Ohio State Buckeyes are where they are right now thanks in large part to E.J. Liddell. The Junior Forward out of Illinois is leading his team with 20.4 points per game, seven boards, 3.4 blocks, and 2.5 assists. All marks are team highs. His field goal percentage could use a bit of work at 54.4 percent but other than that, he is clearly one of the most talented players in the nation. 

Last season, Liddell averaged 16.2 PPG and 6.7 boards but didn’t get much love in the offseason from the oddsmakers. In late November, Liddell’s odds to win the Naismith Award were around +1600, well behind frontrunners Drew Timme, Paolo Banchero, and Hunter Dickinson.

Let’s take a quick look at the current odds to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award from WynnBET Sportsbook:

Updated Naismith Player of the Year Odds

• Paolo Banchero (Duke) | +500
• E.J. Liddell (Ohio State) | +600
• Drew Timme (Gonzaga) | +600
• Hunter Dickinson (Michigan) | +800
• Keegan Murray (Iowa) | +1000
• Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga) | +1200
• Jaden Ivey (Purdue) | +1200

It’s easy to see that Liddell has made up a lot of ground in a short amount of time to now fall second behind Banchero. Liddell has done this not only with consistent play but by also getting it done when it counted the most. In the Buckeyes upset win over No. 1 Duke, Liddell shined with 14 points and 14 rebounds along with 6 assists. 

The Buckeyes are not sitting at 6-2 despite a tough schedule that included Seton Hall, Florida, and Duke. If you nabbed Liddell early on then Kudos to you. If I were looking to bet this award today I might hold off due to the tough schedule OSU has in the next week or so. They have to play Wisconsin and Kentucky back to back. I think Liddell loses some ground and gains some value before a rather light January for the Buckeyes. After Kentucky on the 18th of December, the Buckeyes don’t play another team that is currently ranked until January 13th.