COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Much has happened in the last five days for Ohio State sophomore forward E.J. Liddell, and much remains in his decisions moving forward.

The Buckeyes’ season ended early with their First Round loss to 15th-seeded Oral Roberts Friday. Liddell, who received cruel comments in the direct messages of his Twitter account after the game, said Wednesday that despite the loss, he elevated his game in many aspects in 2020-21.

Liddell averaged 16.2 points per game and shot 47.4% from the field en route to First Team All-Big Ten honors.

“This season was a rollercoaster, honestly,” Liddell said. “I worked all summer just to go out there and prove myself, and I feel like I did that. I proved doubters wrong. I just went out there and played my hardest, gave my all. It kind of hurts that it had to come to an end so soon.”

After a sophomore season in which he emerged as a player the Buckeyes offense can center around, Liddell could follow former Buckeyes center Kaleb Wesson into similarly testing the NBA draft scene after his second year on Ohio State's hardwood.

Liddell said he’s “giving everything an option” when it comes to his status for the 2021-22 basketball season.

In a typical year, college underclassmen must declare their early-entry into the NBA draft process 60 days before selection night, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. The NBA hasn’t announced the date for the 2021 draft, however.

If Liddell were to put his name in the NBA draft prospects hat, he would have until 10 days after the conclusion of the NBA combine to withdraw and maintain eligibility if he so chooses, according to Givony, and the dates for the combine also haven’t yet been announced.

While Liddell hasn’t signaled any decision yet, he’d offer an intriguing draft value. Meanwhile, the Belleville, Illinois, native is just focused on getting to see his family.

“I’ve never spent that much time away from my family,” Liddell said. “I got to see them at a distance and wave at them, but it was very tough for us as a team just to give away our social life and the sacrifices we had to make just for our season to be successful. Sacrificed a lot this year, and I just thank everybody in the medical team and coaching staff for giving us an opportunity to play this year."

Liddell missed two games in December due to a non-COVID related illness, and the Buckeyes saw one nonconference game get canceled in early-December 2020 against Alabama A&M and another contest versus Penn State get postponed in January of this year.

Liddell said complying with health protocols and staying diligent in social distancing measures was tough on all of the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-7 forward said he and his teammates were “hesitant about everything,” including going out to local shopping malls and food courts.

“I definitely don’t think people really see how much we gave up,” Liddell said. “Had to just stay away from people and just get away from life, honestly, just for us to sacrifice and play basketball, the thing we love. I don’t regret anything, I feel like the team doesn’t regret anything.

"At the end of the day, we got to play the game that we love.”