In the wake of his team’s three-game losing streak, Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann was far from impressed by the recent news that he had been named a Naismith Coach of the Year Semifinalist.

“Looks like they did their voting before last week,” Holtmann said on Friday afternoon.

Recent struggles aside, Holtmann's inclusion among the nation’s best coaches was unsurprising. After being projected by the media to finish No. 7 in the Big Ten, the fourth-year head coach and this Ohio State team (18-7, 12-7 Big Ten) have reached as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll this season.

Holtmann and Michigan head coach Juwan Howard were the Big Ten’s lone representatives on the recently-released list of semifinalists, and the pair will almost certainly finish at the top of the Big Ten’s similarly-themed Coach of the Year award.

However, as one would expect, Holtmann had zero interest in talking about his potential honors.

He’d rather dish out the love to his players.

Ohio State basketball has not had an individual named First Team All-Big Ten since Holtmann’s first year in Columbus, when Keita Bates-Diop was named Big Ten Player of the Year.

Combine the national attention the Buckeyes have received in recent weeks with the exponential improvement of E.J. Liddell in his sophomore season, and that dry stretch may come to an end this season.

Liddell, a sophomore, is averaging a team-high 15.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game through 25 games. The 6-foot-7 forward is shooting 50 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from behind the 3-point line.

Though his raw numbers don’t quite line up with those of other Big Ten big men, Liddell’s all-around efficiency and rapid improvement, combined with Ohio State’s unexpected success, make an intriguing case.

“I believe he’s a first team all-league performer, and I believe he has earned that. I really do,” Holtmann said. “Obviously, we’d like to finish well and give ourselves a chance, but when you look at our schedule, who we played in the league twice, and just our overall schedule, I believe just what I said.”

The biggest detractor from Liddell’s case for high honors is the Buckeyes’ all-around balance. Ohio State doesn’t have one superstar-- this is a balanced, deep team with a number of players who have stepped up to share the load.

A large part of it is shared by junior guard Duane Washington Jr.

Washington is averaging 15.3 points per contest on 37.4 percent 3-point shooting. Though his efficiency and consistency have been continually questioned, the 6-foot-3 guard owns the Big Ten lead in made 3-pointers and has morphed into a go-to scorer at crucial junctions this season.

To his head coach, Washington is just as deserving of conference-wide recognition as Liddell.

“I believe E.J. is deserving of that; I really do,” Holtmann said of his pair of leading scorers. “And I believe Duane deserves serious consideration, and we’ve made that evident in everything that we can do.”

Even so, both Liddell and Washington need plenty to go in their favor to have a shot at First Team All-Big Ten.

Luka Garza (Iowa) and Ayo Dosunmu (Illinois) are locks. Kofi Cockburn (Illinois) has been dominant. Michigan has a number of candidates. Marcus Carr carries Minnesota. Trevion Williams (Purdue) is putting up more impressive numbers on a (marginally) better team in league play.

There’s a reason why Kaleb Wesson never reached that final plateau.

In one of the most talent-rich conferences in the country (that also happens to have 14 teams), all-league bids don’t come easy, especially without spectacular statistics.

“I’m a big believer in both of those guys, and hopefully we can play well and give them-- I would love nothing more than to give them the opportunity for that,” Holtmann said. “But when you have a league of this number of teams and this number of really, really good players, I’m sure there are other coaches who could make arguments just like I am.”

That’s why it is even more exciting that both Liddell and Washington have the chance to come back for at least one more season.

If neither Liddell nor Washington sees their name on the First Team All-Big Ten line in 2021, next season presents another opportunity for said honor.

Right now, the focus stays on entering the postseason in the best position possible.

“I think that both guys have improved tremendously, but they also both need to play better on both ends,” Holtmann said. “They both understand that for us to be good, we need a lot out of them.”