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It’s not often that a 6-foot-8 basketball player looks small on the court, but that’s what the greatest college basketball player of all time did Friday night.
Florida’s Olivier Rioux entered the game late in the team’s dominant 114-55 win over No. 16 Prairie View A&M at Benchmark International Arena, and at 7-foot-9, he floored opponents with his size.
Prairie View A&M forward Hassane Diallo, who stands 6-foot-8, a foot shorter than Rioux, went viral for sizing up the towering 20-year-old as he entered the game. Rioux was the world’s tallest teenager before his birthday last month.
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Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux (32) and Prairie View A&M Panthers forward Hassane Diallo (11) watch during a first round game of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida on March 20, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)
Rioux saw little use throughout the year as he continued to develop, but he quickly became a fan favorite. Every time the Gators stand up late in the game, the Florida crowd chants Rioux’s name at head coach Todd Golden, wanting to see the big center in action.
Rioux sent the crowd into a frenzy when he entered the match with about two minutes left. He sent them into even greater hysteria when he nailed a put-back dunk for his first career points in an NCAA tournament, as fans shouted “Oli! Oli!” songs.
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Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux (32) dunks the ball in the second half against the Prairie View A&M Panthers in a first round game of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida on March 20, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Florida’s victory was historic, as the 59-point margin of victory was the second largest in NCAA Tournament history.
Prairie View A&M was down by 30 points when head coach Byron Smith was asked by TNT in a midgame interview about what it would take to slow down Florida.
“We need the Lord’s help,” Smith responded.
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Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux (32) looks on in the second half against the Prairie View A&M Panthers in a first round game of the 2026 men’s NCAA tournament at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida on March 20, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Prairie View A&M ultimately received no help from above, as the defending champions clawed their way into the second round.
No. 1 Florida faces No. 9 Iowa on Sunday at 7:10 p.m. ET, when Gator fans hope to get another chance to see Rioux in action.
