Covering the Canucks for Daily Hive since 2019. Also co-host of the Locked On Canucks Podcast alongside Kyle Bhawan.

It&#8217;s not too often that a 6-foot-8 basketball player looks up at an opposition player in disbelief.
But that&#8217;s what happened to Prairie View A&amp;M forward Hassane Diallo on Friday night.
Olivier Rioux of the Florida Gators was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/7-feet-9-inches-gators-olivier-rioux-worlds-tallest-teen/" target="_blank">recently the world&#8217;s tallest teenager</a> before his 20th birthday back on Feb. 2. Earlier this season, he became the tallest player ever <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/canadian-teen-tallest-basketball-player-rioux" target="_blank">to suit up in a college basketball game.</a>
Then, during Florida&#8217;s first March Madness game on Friday, Rioux made history.
The towering 7-foot-9 centre became the tallest player ever to enter a March Madness game.
His presence seemed to rattle Diallo.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Sizing up the tallest player in college basketball history <a href="https://t.co/dvzaFaBqiZ">pic.twitter.com/dvzaFaBqiZ</a>
&mdash; CBS Sports (@CBSSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/2035202510638415889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;You big boy,&#8221; Diallo appears to say to Rioux late in the contest.
Not only that, but Rioux also became the tallest player to score in a March Madness contest.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
7&#39;9 OLIVIER RIOUX DUNK ALERT 🚨
HE BARELY JUMPED OFF THE GROUND
Watch March Madness on TNT Sports <a href="https://t.co/t5ftL13mJi">pic.twitter.com/t5ftL13mJi</a>
&mdash; Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/2035204506980430249?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Rioux entered the game late before Florida closed out the second-largest margin of victory in March Madness history. He secured the ball and dunked it, with his feet barely leaving the ground.
&#8220;It&#8217;s incredible,&#8221; current Gators teammate, 7-foot-1 centre Micah Handlogten, said last season. &#8220;He stands up, and his hands are above the rim. He&#8217;s such a big presence.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Shaq met 7&#39;9 freshman Olivier Rioux 🤣 <a href="https://twitter.com/GatorsMBK?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GatorsMBK</a> 
(via ShaqDieselONeal, TikTok) <a href="https://t.co/A4PC2fl9eE">pic.twitter.com/A4PC2fl9eE</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1878490106719301851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The crowd erupted into chants of &#8220;Ollie, Ollie&#8221; following his score. Rioux&#8217;s teammates were also celebrating hard on the sidelines.
Rioux has been a sparsely used player for the Gators during his rookie season. He&#8217;s only entered the game late in winning situations for one of the highest-ranked college basketball teams in the states, playing 17 minutes across 11 games, including Friday night&#8217;s contest.
The Terrebonne, Quebec native was on the Gators roster last season. However, he didn&#8217;t play a single minute for the team, which allowed Florida to retain an extra year of eligibility with the Canadian.
&#8220;He&#8217;s more than just a 7-9 guy,&#8221; Gators head coach Todd Golden said last season.
&#8220;He has flashes in practice where he&#8217;ll make some plays, and you&#8217;re like, &#8216;Whoa.&#8217; &#8220;Like, obviously, we can&#8217;t do that with anybody else.&#8221;
Rioux and the Gators play their next game on Sunday, March 22, against the Iowa Hawkeyes.
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Olivier Rioux, the towering 7-foot-9 centre for the Florida Gators, made March Madness history on Friday night.