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The world���s tallest college basketball player is moving to California. Former Florida walk-on Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center from Canada and one of the most recognizable student-athletes in North America, has signed with UC Irvine. Coach Russell Turner says Rioux ���embodies the values that have defined our success." Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team���s national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season. He set a Guinness World Record as the world���s tallest teen before he stepped foot on campus. Now 20, he���s looking for a chance to play more.

Alabama coach Nate Oats says there's a scholarship waiting for suspended guard Aden Holloway depending on the outcome of his marijuana case. Holloway was arrested on felony drug charges and subsequently banned from campus days before the start of the NCAA Tournament. His arraignment was scheduled for June 16, but according to an AL.com report Holloway has waived that court date and his attorney, Jason Neff, planned to file a formal plea of not guilty on his behalf. Holloway could end up back with the team depending on the outcome. Oats spoke Wednesday during a PGA Tour Champions event in Alabama.

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger has agreed to a 10-year contract extension that will increase his annual salary to $6 million. Otzelberger led the Cyclones to a 29-8 record and their third NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in five years this past season. He is 124-53 since becoming head coach in 2021-22. The Cyclones have appeared in 52 consecutive Associated Press Top 25 polls and were No. 8 in the final rankings. Otzelberger is the only coach in program history to lead multiple teams to the Sweet 16 and his 30 wins over Top 25 opponents is a school record.

The NCAA is still deliberating expanding March Madness on both the men���s and women���s sides to 76 teams for next season. The much-expected development has been in the works for years. The NCAA released a brief statement Tuesday in the wake of an ESPN report that cited unnamed sources saying a decision to add eight teams to the bracket is a mere formality that���s expected in May. The statement says ���no final recommendations or decisions have been made.��� The tournaments have been at 68 teams since 2011, when four play-in games were added to the beginning of the first week of play. The new format would add eight more play-in games.

Two former Fordham basketball players have been permanently banned by the NCAA for their roles in a point-shaving scheme that was the subject of a sprawling federal indictment unsealed in January. According to the NCAA, Elijah Gray and Will Richardson each agreed with a bettor to throw a game against Duquesne on Feb. 23, 2024, in exchange for $10,000 to $15,000. Gray was one of more than two dozen people accused by federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania conspiring to fix games. He has agreed to plead guilty in that case. The NCAA says Gray told investigators that he ultimately reneged on his agreement to underperform during the game and was not paid.