FOX's Gus Johnson says Ohio State athletics gave 'all the money to Ryan Day' in comparison to UVA hoops

No. 15 Virginia topped Ohio State 70-66 on Saturday night in a rare mid-season non-conference game. During the game, though, Buckeyes football quickly became a topic.

Early in the first half, broadcasters Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson were discussing how Virginia had assembled its roster on the call for FOX Sports. And the contrast between the two schools competing on the hardwood was immediately brought up.

Jackson is former Ohio State All-American, so he knows what he’s talking about. And he quickly pointed out money as a major factor.

“The difference between UVA and Ohio State is that UVA paid for it,” Johnson said, reflecting that topic back. “Ohio State, they’re giving all the money to Ryan Day.”

Gus Johnson: "The difference between UVA and Ohio State is that UVA paid for it. Ohio State, they've given all the money to Ryan Day." pic.twitter.com/dWhe2QEwML

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 15, 2026

From there, Jackson then pointed to the issues some schools face in allocating money. Even programs as big as the Buckeyes.

“And that’s the challenge you have with a lot of football schools, is the distribution of cash,” he said. “Now how many times do you go to the same donors is a question as well. But this is an evolving scenario for all these schools, especially a school like Ohio State. If you want to compete you’ve got to pay nowadays.”

To that, Johnson suggested he might do some lobbying.

“I’m going to have to call (OSU) president (Walter) Carter and ask him if he can show some love and pocketbook to Buckeyes basketball,” Johnson said.

In any case, the game itself was quite compelling. Ohio State made it a game until the very end. Perhaps with a little more spending, the Buckeyes would have had enough firepower to get over the hump.

On the flip side, Johnson praised Virginia. The program has done a remarkable job with a first-year head coach.

“What a job coach (Ryan) Odom has done with this roster for Virginia,” he said. “When coach (Tony) Bennett decided to retire, everybody jumped in the portal. And then coach Odom came in and he got seven guys quickly, some European cats as well. Right now they’re 15th ranked in the country.”