Texas' inside game got a much-needed lift Saturday when team doctors cleared freshman forward Gary Johnson to play for the first time this season on Wednesday against TCU.

Johnson had been practicing throughout the season but hadn't been cleared to play in the regular season due to a heart condition. The condition, detected in June, kept him out of conditioning over the summer.

Johnson won't play in Saturday's home game against Wisconsin. Texas entered the game ranked No. 9 with an 11-1 record, including wins at UCLA and over Tennessee in Newark, N.J. The Longhorns' only loss came last Saturday against Michigan State in Auburn Hills.

Texas Coach Rick Barnes had said throughout the season he was confident Johnson would be cleared once he finished a full evaluation period. He also said Johnson would help the team's rebounding and interior scoring since it had relied so much on guards D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams.