The Florida Gators have always what some fans say is a secret weapon on their bench, and his name is Olivier Rioux. Why is he a secret weapon, some may ask? Well, being 7-foot-9 is usually a really good thing in basketball.
Rioux has not seen the court much in the two seasons he has been with the Gators, but he ended up redshirting his first year in Gainesville. In this 2025-2026 season, head coach Todd Golden has tried to get the tallest player in college basketball into the game, and when he does, everyone absolutely loves it.
In their first NCAA Tournament game, the Gators had a very commanding lead over 16-seed Prairie View, and at that time, Golden felt he could put Rioux into the game. When Golden made the decision, not only did the Florida bench get hype, but so did the Florida fans in the stands.
Olivier Rioux's dunk reminded Florida Gator fans of what they could see more of in the future
Not long after Rioux checked into the game, the 7-foot-9 center made quick work of finding the basket, which isn't very hard when you are that tall. After a shot, Rioux was there for the rebound and dunked on the basket, a dunk that he barely left the floor to get.
The angle of Rioux's dunk in the video below is just as amazing as it was in real time. It is unreal to watch someone that tall be able to just reach up and have no trouble dunking the ball.
This angle is ELECTRIC ⚡️#MarchMadness @GatorsMBK https://t.co/nOADQxTm1z pic.twitter.com/vi2M5uAOt4
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2026
Some Florida fans are unsure if Rioux will stick around in Gainesville next season, but with some big names leaving, he could very easily step into a bigger role for the Gators.
Florida will be back in action on Sunday against nine-seed Iowa at 7:10 p.m. EST in the Round of 32 with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.