How Florida's 7-foot-9 freshman became unlikely March Madness star

Florida Gators center Olivier Rioux. Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

How Florida's 7-foot-9 freshman became an unlikely March Madness star

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Apr 8, 2025 8:30 AM ET

Florida won 12 straight games from the start of March through Monday night to capture a national championship, and one player left his stamp on the magical run without ever touching the floor.

Olivier Rioux, Florida's 7-foot-9 center, took a redshirt year as a freshman this season. The Canada native is the tallest player in NCAA Division I basketball history, and his height was on full display in recent weeks.

After Florida beat Houston 65-63 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament national championship game on Monday night, Rioux cut down his piece of the net without using a ladder. The impressive feat required little effort.

Florida’s 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux did not need a ladder to cut down the nets after winning the national championship. pic.twitter.com/hdjjwc5uFu
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) April 8, 2025

Rioux pulled the same move after the Gators won the SEC Tournament in March.

7'9" freshman Olivier Rioux didn't need a ladder to cut the net @GatorsMBK pic.twitter.com/UW2sEZUfZP
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 16, 2025

You may also recognize Rioux from the incredible photo of him standing next to a reporter that went viral earlier in the NCAA Tournament.

Rioux is probably the most well-known player in the country who has never appeared in a game. His massive stature simply cannot be ignored. Though he is not the first player to cut down the nets without using a ladder, he seems to have already perfected the act.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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