Florida’s Olivier Rioux, at 7-foot-9, becomes tallest player to appear in NCAA Tournament game
TAMPA, Fla. — With 8 1/2 minutes left in Florida’s 114-55 first-round rout of Prairie View A&M, Gators fans began chanting for history that had nothing to do with the final score or their team’s quest for a second consecutive national championship.
We want Ol-lie!
When the second chant bubbled up a few moments later, Ollie — Olivier Rioux — started smiling at the end of the Gators’ bench. By the sixth one, the chant turned into a triumphant cheer. They finally got their wish.
Rioux became the tallest player ever to appear in the NCAA Tournament when he closed out the final 1:54 of the second-largest tournament blowout ever with a put-back dunk for the No. 1 seed.
“It feels amazing,” Rioux said.
Rioux’s size has already earned several distinctions on and off the court. At age 16, he was 7 feet 5, making him the world’s tallest teenager, according to the Guinness World Records.
Earlier this season, he became the tallest player to play in a college basketball game (Nov. 6 against North Florida), the tallest player to score in a game (Nov. 21 against Merrimack) and the tallest player to make a field goal in a game (a dunk against St. Francis on Dec. 17). Over his 10 appearances before Friday, he scored 5 points and grabbed four boards over 14 minutes.
Even on a team with towering size, Rioux stands out. On the bench, he sits a head taller than everyone else. In the huddle, he’s 8 inches taller than the next biggest Gator, the 7-foot-1 senior Micah Handlogten. On the court, he was 16 inches taller than the first player he stood next to, Panthers guard Elijah Mitchell.
Here’s Florida’s Olivier Rioux greeting wrestling star Titus O’Neil. Rioux is now the tallest player ever to appear in the NCAA Tournament. pic.twitter.com/7fogsoyYt0
— Matt Baker (@MattBakerCFB) March 21, 2026
But that’s only part of Rioux’s story. He’s a Quebec native who chose to work on his game by trekking all the way to IMG Academy, the prep powerhouse in Bradenton, Fla. — 50 miles south of Friday’s venue, Benchmark International Arena. Some of his former high school teammates at IMG were among Friday’s announced crowd of 20,112. Ken Kirkley wasn’t one of them, but he’s been following the Gators long enough to know that Rioux is the kind of player who deserves respect.
“He’s the underdog,” said Kirkley, one of the Florida supporters who spent most of the final 10 minutes chanting for Rioux. “It’s the embodiment of being a Gator.”
Rioux redshirted last season during Florida’s national championship run as he developed his game and 305-pound frame. When he got to Gainesville, he ran the court in 12 seconds. Now, thanks to his bonus work after practices, it’s closer to 9.
The extra speed added with his length has made him a trickier matchup on the scout team for teammates like Rueben Chinyelu to rebound against. Stack those practice sessions on top of each other, and his role in Florida’s 27-7 season is bigger than his stats show.
“Little things you don’t pay attention to, it’s helped,” Chinyelu said.
Chinyelu was Rioux’s biggest cheerleader Friday night. Chinyelu knows how much Rioux and the other reserves have done to help Florida gear up for a shot at another Final Four (or more), so he wants them to share in the glory, too.
During one of the “We want Ol-lie” chants, Rioux started waving his arms so fans would pump up the volume.
When Rioux finally took off his warmup shirt with 3 1/2 minutes to go, the crowd erupted again. The roars come with pressure.
“It’s pretty unbelievable,” said forward Alex Condon, an Australia native. “He’s a very tall bloke. He comes out there, and everyone’s chanting to get him the ball. He does a great job managing that pressure and taking the right shots.”
Rioux missed the first two but got the ball back moments later on a rebound. He lunged ahead.
“I saw a wide-open dunk,” Rioux said.
He hammered it home. The crowd erupted again.
Olivier Rioux with the slam and the bench goes wild!!! pic.twitter.com/FGuAljK0bF
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 21, 2026
Rioux’s final stat line wasn’t stunning: two rebounds, one assist and that unforgettable dunk. But the dunk wasn’t the end. After the ball slammed through the net, Rioux turned to use the speed he’s been honing to hustle back on defense. He did his job.
It might not sound like much, but it’s progress for a fan favorite trying to show he can be something bigger than just the tallest player in the game
“It’s very important,” Rioux said. “I think I did that today.”
