7-foot-9 Olivier Rioux had Prairie View A&M's tall center in awe

At a height of 6-foot-8, Prairie View A&M men's basketball player Hassane Diallo is almost a foot taller than the average male height in the United States. But in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday evening, the junior center found himself in an unusual situation. With just under two minutes left in a game dominated by the South Region's No.

1 seeded Florida, Diallo lined up against the Gators' Olivier Rioux. At 7-foot-9, the Canadian basketball player is the tallest in college basketball histor y. Rioux, a redshirt freshman for Florida, is a Guinness World Record holder for world's tallest teenager when he hit 7-foot-5 at age 16.

So we don't blame Diallo for taking in the moment. Cameras caught Diallo looking up at Rioux as the pair prepared for the restart of play, with the duo sharing some small talk. Sizing up the tallest player in college basketball history pic.

twitter. com/dvzaFaBqiZ — CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 21, 2026 Rioux and Florida moved on after a dominating 114-55 victory, and the Gators will face the Big Ten's Iowa in the Round of 64 on Sunday. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Olivier Rioux had Prairie View A&M player in awe of Florida center