The Florida Gators won the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship after beating the sixth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers 86-77.
The first-team All American guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points, including four 3-pointers with a couple late daggers, which propelled the Gators to victory.
Victor Wembanyama could be in trouble if he gets guarded by this 7’9 Florida freshman Olivier Rioux
Seniors Will Richard and Alijah Martin scored 17 and 10 points, respectively. Sophomore forward Alex Condon added 13 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore forward Thomas Haugh came off the bench to score 11 points and grab six boards, including five on the offensive end.
Giant freshman gets his first SEC championship
Freshman center Olivier Rioux grabbed the cameras attention after the game as he cut down one of the nets of the court without the need of a ladder. That’s because he’s 7’9, which is why he holds the Guinness World Record for tallest teenager. He crossed the 7-foot mark the summer before entering seventh grade.
With his size, Rioux can make French superstar center Victor Wembanyama – who stands at 7’3, which makes him one of the tallest players in the NBA currently – look small, something that very few ballers can do standing next to the San Antonio Spurs All-Star.
The Quebec, Canada native has appeared with his national team in several FIBA events and helped them win a bronze medal at the 2023 U18 FIBA AmeriCup while averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He’s currently rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals.
“He towers over every opponent on the floor and he uses his colossal size to control the paint on both ends of the court. He’s not a fast player, as expected, but he can get up and down the court fairly well. He barely needs to leave his feet to dunk the basketball. He’s got good hands, catches the ball well and has a decent touch around the rim.” states his NBA Draft scouting report.
The Gators road to glory in March Madness
The Florida Gators (30-4), the No. 1 seed in the West Region, prepare to play Norfolk State (24-10) in first-round play of the NCAA Tournament Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina. The main goal is to make it to the Final Four and eventually compete for a national title.
Last year, Florida went 24-12, reached the SEC Tournament championship, but got beat by Auburn, then knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round. But currently, the Gators has now amassed more wins going into NCAA play than all but one team (2014) in program history.
“Just incredibly proud of our program,” Florida’s head coach Todd Golden said after winning the SEC Tournament title. “They’ve done an incredible job all year just being coachable and unselfish. We knew early on in the year we had really good talent, but the thing that separates us is our unselfishness, our willingness to put the greater good of the program in front of ourselves.”
