GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The world’s tallest teenager might have to wait a year to become the world’s tallest college basketball player. Florida coach Todd Golden says Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 freshman who owns a spot in the Guinness record book, is planning to redshirt. Had the popular Canadian played in even one game, he would have burned one of his four seasons of college eligibility. Instead, Rioux will spend the rest of the 2024-25 season practicing with teammates and honing his skills. He will still be a freshman next fall. Florida students chanted for “Oli” in the final minutes of a victory over Grambling State on Monday as Golden emptied the bench. But Rioux remained seated.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No. 20 Florida and under-investigation-coach Todd Golden are about to get a feel for what to expect on the road this season. It could be way more hostile than usual when the Gators play at rival Florida State on Friday night. Golden says “we anticipate it being a raucous environment, a crowd that is going to come after us.” The crowd might really come after Golden, who has acknowledged an ongoing school inquiry into sexual harassment and stalking allegations. Golden says he is considering “defamation claims.” He declined to discuss the case again and sidestepped another chance to deny the allegations.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Georgia running back Trevor Etienne has been ruled out of the big game against Tennessee with a rib injury. Etienne was hurt in a Nov. 2 victory over Florida, though he did get limited carries in a 28-10 loss to Ole Miss last weekend. Initially listed as questionable for the crucial game against the Volunteers, Etienne was ruled out by Georgia on the latest injury report filed with the SEC. Etienne is in his first season with the Bulldogs after transferring from Florida. He leads Georgia with 477 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Etienne’s absence leaves freshman Nate Frazier as the only running back with extensive playing time assured of being available against the Volunteers.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Marques Warrick scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half when Missouri took off to a huge lead on its way to a 111-39 win over Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night — the 72-point margin matching the largest in Tigers history. It was Missouri’s largest margin of victory since defeating Chicago State 117-45 in 1995. The Tigers also beat MacMurray 106-34 in 1976. Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates added 15 points each, Mark Mitchell 13 and Marcus Allen and Annor Boateng 10 each for Missouri (3-1). The Tigers made 15 of 31 from the arc. Arthur Tate scored 10 points to lead MVSU.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Billy Napier says quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play.” Napier made the announcement on his weekly radio show. He removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday. Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The state that gave much of America the right to offer legal sports betting may decide that certain bets on college athletes are out of bounds. New Jersey is considering banning bets on the statistical performance of student athletes, such as how many touchdowns a quarterback will throw or how many rebounds a basketball player will rack up. The NCAA says 1 in 3 college athletes in heavily bet-on sports report being harassed or threatened by angry gamblers. Thirteen states already ban such bets. The proposal moved forward Thursday but still needs additional approvals to become law.

UNDATED (AP) — The Southeastern Conference will feature another potentially playoff-changing contest when No. 6 Tennessee plays at No. 11 Georgia. The Bulldogs come off a loss at Ole Miss. Losing again to the Vols would give them three defeats for the first time since 2018. Tennessee has lost its last seven games to Georgia. Elsewhere, No. 23 South Carolina is looking to win its fourth straight and third in a row over a ranked opponent when it plays host to No. 24 Missouri. The Gamecocks have beaten Oklahoma, then-No. 10 Texas A&M and then-24th-ranked Vanderbilt the past three games.

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — No. 11 Georgia finds itself in a must-win situation as it hosts No. 6 Tennessee in a huge Southeastern Conference game between the hedges. The Bulldogs already have two losses after a 28-10 blowout at Mississippi a week ago. A third loss would likely knock them out of consideration for the College Football Playoff, even though it’s been expanded to 12 team this season. That’s hardly what was expected from a team that has been a perennial national championship contender under Kirby Smart. The one-loss Volunteers can put themselves in prime playoff position with a win over Georgia. But they’ll need to break a seven-year losing streak in the series.