Tallest college basketball player ever towers over 6-foot-8 opponent in viral March Madness moment

Not often does a 6-foot-8 hoops subordinate look mini connected nan court, but that’s what nan tallest college hoops player ever did connected Friday night.

Florida’s Olivier Rioux entered nan crippled precocious successful nan team’s ascendant 114-55 triumph complete No. 16 Prairie View A&M astatine Benchmark International Arena, and astatine 7-foot-9, he floored his opponents pinch his height.

Prairie View A&M guardant Hassane Diallo, who stands astatine 6-foot-8, a afloat ft shorter than Rioux, went viral for sizing up nan towering 20-year-old arsenic he entered nan game. Rioux was nan world’s tallest teen earlier his day past month.

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Florida Gators halfway Olivier Rioux (32) and Prairie View A&M Panthers guardant Hassane Diallo (11) look connected during a first-round crippled of nan men's 2026 NCAA Tournament astatine Benchmark International Arena successful Tampa, Florida, connected Mar. 20, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)

Rioux has been small utilized passim nan twelvemonth arsenic he continues to develop, but has go a instrumentality favourite successful short order. Whenever nan Gators are up large precocious successful games, nan Florida crowd chants Rioux’s sanction astatine caput coach Todd Golden, wanting to spot nan gangly halfway successful action.

Rioux sent nan crowd into a frenzy erstwhile he checked into nan crippled pinch astir 2 minutes left. He sent them into moreover further hysteria erstwhile he slammed location a put-back dunk for his first profession NCAA tourney points, arsenic fans rained down "Oli! Oli!" chants.

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Florida Gators halfway Olivier Rioux (32) dunks nan shot successful nan 2nd half against nan Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first-round crippled of nan men's 2026 NCAA Tournament astatine Benchmark International Arena successful Tampa, Florida, connected Mar. 20, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

Florida’s triumph was historic, arsenic nan 59-point separator of triumph was nan second-largest successful NCAA tourney history.

Prairie View A&M was down 30 points erstwhile caput coach Byron Smith was asked by nan TNT broadcast during a midgame question and reply what it would return to slow down Florida.

"We request immoderate thief from nan Lord," Smith replied.

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Florida Gators halfway Olivier Rioux (32) looks connected successful nan 2nd half against nan Prairie View A&M Panthers during a first-round crippled of nan men's 2026 NCAA Tournament astatine Benchmark International Arena successful Tampa, Florida, connected Mar. 20, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

Prairie View A&M did not extremity up getting immoderate thief from above, arsenic nan defending champions steamrolled their measurement into nan 2nd round.

No. 1 Florida will play No. 9 Iowa connected Sunday astatine 7:10 p.m. ET, erstwhile Gator fans dream for different chance to spot Rioux successful action.

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