Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux, at 7 feet 8 inches the tallest player in NCAA Division I men's basketball history,[1][2] entered late in the team's 114-55 victory over Prairie View A&M on March 20, 2026, during a first-round game of the men's NCAA tournament at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Rioux, a 21-year-old from Montreal, Canada, playing for the University of Florida,[1] dwarfed Prairie View A&M forward Hassane Diallo, a 6-foot-8 senior from Dakar, Senegal.[3] Video of Diallo sizing up Rioux circulated widely online.

The 7-foot-8 Rioux previously held the Guinness World Record as the tallest teenager, measuring 7 feet 5.5 inches at age 16.[2] He has appeared in limited minutes during his college career while developing his game and has drawn fan chants calling for his entry in blowout situations.

Rioux scored his first career NCAA tournament points on a put-back dunk with about two minutes remaining, prompting chants of "Oli! Oli!" from the Florida crowd.

The NCAA men's basketball tournament features 68 teams in a single-elimination format, with top seeds facing No. 16 seeds in the first round.[4]

Sources

1. University of Florida Athletics. "Olivier Rioux - 2024-25 Men's Basketball". Accessed November 2024. https://floridagators.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/olivier-rioux/25798
2. Wikipedia. "Olivier Rioux". Accessed November 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_Rioux
3. Prairie View A&M University Athletics. "Hassane Diallo - Men's Basketball". Accessed November 2024. https://pvpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/hassane-diallo/14594
4. NCAA. "Men's basketball tournament overview". Accessed November 2024. https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness