15th-ranked Virginia was able to hold off Ohio State this weekend in their 70-66 victory over the Buckeyes in the Nashville Hoops Showdown.
Malik Thomas and Sam Lewis led the way for the Cavaliers with 13 points each as they notched their 23rd win of the season and dropped OSU to 16-9 with four losses in their last seven.
And when it comes to the recent play of the Buckeyes, FOX Sports' Gus Johnson had his thoughts on the reason for Ohio State's struggles.
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Gus Johnson calls out Ohio State's basketball budget on FOX
After UVA's Dallin Hall scored a bucket to bring the Cavs within one possession of the Bucks, Johnson and his partner Jim Jackson talked about how well Ryan Odom and co. were able to overturn Virginia's roster in such a short amount of time — as opposed to OSU.
“What a job Coach Odom has done with this roster for Virginia,” Johnson 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. And some European cats as well. And right now, they’re 15th-ranked in the country.”
“Seven of their nine rotational players are new,” Jackson added. “And to be able to have this kind of success?”
“But the difference between UVA and Ohio State is that UVA paid for it,” Johnson replied. “Ohio State, they’ve given all the money to Ryan Day. ... I’m going to have to call president [Ted] Carter and ask him if he can just show some love in the pocketbooks for the Buckeyes’ basketball team.”
Ohio State to be without star guard John Mobley Jr. 'indefinitely'
Prior to tipoff of Ohio State's non-conference game vs. Virginia, the Buckeyes were dealt some brutal news in the thick of their NCAA Tournament hunt.
Sophomore guard John Mobley Jr., OSU's second-leading scorer behind backcourt mate Bruce Thornton, will reportedly miss extended time after suffering a hand injury.
The injury occurred during Ohio State's Big Ten matchup with USC, which will force him to miss a crucial time of the program's late-season schedule. The Buckeyes say they expect him to return this year but it still very much remains to be seen when that may be.