It's hard to describe the visual of seeing a person that is abnormally tall. I run close to 6-foot-6, which is above-average height, but the thought of someone a foot and three inches taller than me, is wild.
And the true optics of that were on display late in the Gators blowout win over Prairie View A&M. After the second team had done their work, it was time for Todd Golden to give the fans in Tampa what they had been chanting for during most of the second half — a chance to see the 7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux on the court.
Sizing up the tallest player in college basketball history pic.twitter.com/dvzaFaBqiZ
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2026
And when Rioux stepped into the paint, he got the attention of Panthers "big man" Hassane Diallo, who is a solid 6-8.
It reminded me of Wrestlemania III when Andre the Giant fought Hulk Hogan. They had this stare down as the match was beginning and Jesse Ventura (yes, the former Governor of Minnesota) was on the commentary team and, he said, "Look at the size of the Giant...I mean Hogan is 6-foot-8!"
Now Andre was listed at 7-5, but he was around 6-10, 6-11 and Hogan was closer to my height, but that stuck in my head as I was watching a 6-8 guy completely in awe of a man legitimately over a foot taller than him.
Perhaps the NCAA moment of the day...
— From the Hawkeye of the Storm (@FromTheHawkeye) March 21, 2026
The player on the right in this interaction is 6'8 btw 😳
Prairie View A&M's Hassane Diallo:
(*looks in awe*)
"You a freshman?"
7'8 Olivier Rioux:
"Yep."
Diallo:
"You BIG boy!"
(*silence*)
"Where you from?"
Rioux:
(*pause*)… pic.twitter.com/rXP5a94sCK
Ollie would eventually give the fans another big reason to cheer when he slammed home a rebound late and became the tallest player to ever score in the tournament. The crowd exploded and leading the cheers was teammate and double-double machine, Rueben Chinyelu,
"It's just a great time just being with this guy, be it from summertime, grinding with this guy, playing together, trying to get each other better. Just me seeing him being able to step up there, go in there, dunk the ball, make points, it's really — you could see everybody enjoyed it," Chinyelu said. "You guys don't see behind the scenes. They get ready, they're getting us ready, they're playing with us, trying to make sure we have what we need to deliver."
![Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) rebounds during second half of NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. Florida won 114-55.[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun] Florida center Olivier Rioux (32) rebounds during second half of NCAA March Madness opening round at Benchmark international Arena in Tampa, FL on Friday, March 20, 2026. Florida won 114-55.[Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_237,w_2086,h_1173/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/213/01km8v1c2xh6g26h2pz4.jpg)