Florida's Rioux Transfers to UC Irvine

0:00On April 30th, Florida's 7-foot-9 center, Olivier Ryu, just made his transfer call, committing to UC Irvine. He's the tallest player ever in college basketball history after two seasons with the Gators. Ryu redshirted during Florida's national title run in the 2024-25 season, then saw action in just 11 games last year. He averaged under 1.1 and 1 rebound per game, with a career high of 2 points. Now as a redshirt sophomore in the 2026-27 season, he's eyeing real minutes at UC Irvine to help them snap a drought. The anteaters haven't hit the NCAA tournament since reaching the second round in 2018-19. UC Irvine posted solid marks lately, going 23 in 12 in 2025-26, and even better at 32 in 7 the year, before. They fell short of the big West title, though. Florida moves on after that second round upset loss to Iowa while defending their crown. They'll reload as a top squad chasing another ring and the SEC throne, as the next season tips off late fall.