Projecting freshmen is clearly an inexact science. You can look at as many rankings and scouting services as you want, but there is simply no way to bat 1.000 when it comes to projecting how freshmen will play in college. Even limiting it to five-star prospects isn't a guarantee; there are plenty of "can't miss" guys who have performed at a subpar level while in college. It's not always the player's fault; they can't always control the expectations bestowed upon them. Either way, there are always loads of top-50 or top-100 prospects that did not product up to expectations. Here is a look at five of the biggest disappointments so far.
Harrison Barnes, F, North Carolina: I know, I know. A couple of months ago, I said to hold off on judging Barnes and the Tar Heels until the young players developed further. I'm also not writing off Barnes for the rest of the season. With that said, it's hard to argue against Barnes being a disappointment so far. The No. 1 prospect coming into college, Barnes is averaging 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds so far and has had six single-digit scoring games. While he has shown flashes of his potential, he needs to put it all together.
Patric Young, F/C, Florida : Prior to the season, I pegged Young as the key to Florida becoming a top-10 or top-15 team by the end of the year. He has a great build and tremendous strength and can also rebound and finish - but he has not shown that at all yet. Instead, Young has been mostly invisible this season, held scoreless in four different games and averaging just 2.9 points and 3.4 rebounds on the season. In the Gators' three losses, Young's production drops even further: 1.3 points and 3.0 rebounds. He has experienced players ahead of him, but he needs to step up.
Fabricio Melo, C, Syracuse: I was never the biggest fan of Melo in high school, but I thought he would make a decent enough impact due to his size, skill set and the fact Jim Boeheim was so confident about him. Outside of a few solid performances, though, Melo has not been much of a factor. He is averaging just 2.1 points and 1.8 rebounds right now, and has been held scoreless in three of his last five games. Moreover, Melo has played single-digit minutes six times in his last eight games. Give him a couple more years in the Carrier Dome.
Adreian Payne, F/C, Michigan State: This is one where I am still patting myself on the back for pegging correctly. In high school, I thought Payne was too timid, too skinny and simply not polished enough offensively to make a major impact for the Spartans right away. After racking up three goose eggs in his first five games, he began to turn things around with a solid effort against Duke. However, Payne has not produced much in the last eight games, averaging just 2.0 points and 1.1 rebounds in just over seven minutes.
Ian Miller, G, Florida State: Miller was expected to solve the Seminoles' offensive playmaking problems this season, providing a creative playmaker who would be able to get into the lane and draw defenders. Instead, he has missed nearly a month with a groin injury that was not made public until very recently. Even before that, though, Miller wasn't overly valuable. He played six minutes in the last game he played in, and was held scoreless twice before that. Overall, he averaged 4.7 points and 0.7 assists - yes, less than one assist - before the injury.
Others
Jordan McRae, G, Tennessee: Held out of eight games; has only played double-digit minutes on one occasion. Averaging 2.3 points in eight games.
Daniel Bejarano, G, Arizona: Not even close to the Wildcats' regular rotation, Bejarano has scored points in just two games this season.
Joshua Hairston, F, Duke: For a team lacking in frontcourt production, Hairston should be able to help. Instead, he's averaging 2.3 points in 12 games.
Damontre Harris, C, South Carolina: Harris was supposed to anchor the Gamecocks' frontcourt; he's averaging 1.8 points and 2.2 rebounds against major-conference opponents.
Michael Cobbins, F, Oklahoma State: I didn't expect him to make the biggest impact, but he was a top-70 recruit and he's played five minutes this season. Five.