South Carolina Basketball: Lamont Paris updates injury status of 2 crucial Gamecocks

South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris (and starters Meechie Johnson, Ta'Lon Cooper, and BJ Mack) spoke to the media on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's NCAA Tournament matchup with the Oregon Ducks.

During his press conference, Paris gave an update on two Gamecock contributors who have been less than 100% healthy. Ta'Lon Cooper, who rolled his ankle in the Gamecocks' SEC Tournament game against Arkansas, and Myles Stute, who has battled a knee injury for the past several weeks and a hip pointer since the Arkansas game in the SEC Tournament, both traveled with the team to Pittsburgh for the NCAA Tournament and had said they would be ready to play this week.

According to updates from reporters who are in Pittsburgh (GamecockCentral's Mike Uva and Alex Jones of TheBigSpur), Paris confirmed that both Cooper and Stute have been cleared medically and will play on Thursday.

The news is of major consequence to the South Carolina basketball team as Cooper is on-floor leader who has his hand in just about everything the Gamecocks do, and Stute can change a game with his outside shooting presence and positional versatility.

Cooper ranks in the top-4 on the team in scoring, assists (1st), rebounding, steals, 3-point % (1st), and free throw %. Stute (39.5%) only trails Cooper (45.3%) in 3-point efficiency and is one of just three Gamecocks (along with Meechie Johnson and BJ Mack) to have hit 5 deep balls in one game this season.

Getting the two veteran players back will be a help to Lamont Paris' team as they face off against former Gamecock Jermaine Couisnard and the Oregon Ducks. The Thursday Round of 64 game will be broadcast on TNT (and can be streamed on the TNT or March Madness Live apps) and will begin at 4:00 PM EST.