Expectations are a funny thing. As fantasy sports writers, we put our expectations on players and if they defy our predictions, they are either surprises or disappointments. If you've been reading this week, you can kind of tell their our writers have been a bit uncomfortable about calling college players disappointing. Few people have the same concerns with professional athletes, but the CFHI writers are a conscientious bunch. It is a bit early to call players complete busts at this point, but there are players that we hoped to get more from. It's the nature of the beast. Some of these players will bounce back and be fine.
Romero Osby, forward, Oklahoma Sooners
Perhaps my expectations were too high for the 6-foot-8 Mississippi State transfer, but Osby has been overly ordinary. The junior is leading the Sooners with 7.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, but he has only scored 10.6 points. Some of the fault lies on others' shoulders because Osby should be getting more shot opportunities. He needs to be more aggressive, but he has only had a combined 14 shot attempts in the last three games. He did take a season-high 13 shots in the Sooners' lone loss to Saint Louis in the finals of the 76 Classic. Osby finished the game with 14 points. He did raise my hopes with a pair of double-doubles to open the season, but they were against Idaho State and Coppin State. If coach Lon Kruger gets his guards to pass into the interior, then Osby will be the prime beneficiary.
Andrew Fitzgerald, forward, Oklahoma Sooners
Joining Osby in the Sooner frontcourt and on this list. The 6-foot-8 junior was the leading returning scorer for Oklahoma at 12.6 points as a sophomore. He is starting to score better this season, but started the year with single digit scoring in three of his first five games. Fitzgerald does have to share the frontcourt with Osby and maybe the two are hurting each other's value. In the past three games, the Baltimore native has started to assert himself and has averaged 15.3 points. He took a season-high 17 shots and scored 16 points in the win over Oral Roberts, and followed that game up with a 17-point effort in the win over Arkansas. I want more. Please help the frontcourt, Oklahoma guards! I am talking to you Steven Pledger and Sam Grooms.
Jordan Henriquez, center, Kansas State Wildcats
The seven-footer started the season as a starter for coach Frank Martin but has seen his minutes and production disappear. In the first four games, Henriquez averaged 9.3 rebounds and 8.8 points. In the last three games, he has provided a combined 12 points and seven boards lowlighted by just three minutes against North Florida on Dec. 11 with no almost no production. Henriquez continues to be an excellent shot blocker with or without minutes. He has swatted two shots in each game and knocked away five shots twice. Maybe the game against the Ospreys was just a match up thing and Henriquez will be back in the starting lineup, but it may be that he has been displaced by Jamar Samuels and will continue to be a defensive specialist. That would mean he is not in line for many minutes.
J.P. Olukemi, guard/forward, Oklahoma State Cowboys
In the first three games of the season, the senior looked like he was ready to continue on an ascent from his junior season in which he provided 11.1 points. He provided 12.7 points as the Cowboys knocked off Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Texas-San Antonio. Olukemi's production screeched to a halt against Stanford on Nov. 23 in the NIT Tip-Off. The swingman accrued multiple fouls early in the game and was limited to ten scoreless minutes. Since that game, Olukemi has continued to start, but his production has been weak. In the past six games, he has scored 13 points twice and a combined 17 points in the other four contests.He has not made a three-pointer since Nov. 15.
Philip Jurick, center, Oklahoma State Cowboys
Like his teammate Olukemi, Jurick has had a lot of problems with fouls. The 6-foot-11 junior college transfer proved his early worth off the bench with three games of ten rebounds to open the season. Coach Travis Ford moved him to the starting lineup on Nov. 25 against Virginia Tech, but Jurick has not been able to stay on the court. He has accrued three or foul fouls in the last six games. The 270 pounder has no semblance of an offensive game and has only scored more than four points once. He could be a factor for rebounds and blocks. He had six blocks and eight boards in the Dec. 10 loss to Pittsburgh, but he only played a combined 18 minutes in the two games to start December.With his aggressive defensive style, Jurick will probably continue to foul and limit his fantasy value.
Ty Nurse, guard, Texas Tech Red Raiders
It is a bad thing to have your best game in your first game. That's what the 6-foot-1 Nurse did. The junior college transfer from Vancouver scored 29 points in the opening win over Troy on Nov. 11. He scored another combined 29 points in the next two games, but points have been fairly hard to come by in the last five games. Nurse did have 19 points in the Nov. 25 loss to DePaul in the Old Spice Classic, but preceded that game with one point in 33 minutes against Indiana State. Against Wake Forest on Nov. 27, Nurse did not even take a shot in 17 minutes. He continues to get minutes and is excellent from the free throw line (87.9%). Nurse may have a few more big games, but he won't be a top offensive option in most games for the Red Raiders.
Elijah Johnson, guard, Kansas Jayhawks
Johnson was actually mentioned in ESPN.com's Chad Ford's draft column after a big game against UCLA in the Maui Invitational. He had 23 points and four three-pointers in the win over the Bruins, but the mention wasn't a big surprise. Ford is a big Kansas fan and he tends to overrate Jayhawks. Johnson is at best a third option for the Kansas offense. He has only scored in double figures in two other games and was held scoreless in 27 minutes on Nov. 30 against Florida Atlantic. Johnson has hit half of his shots in two games and is only hitting a third of his three-pointers. Like Tyshawn Taylor in years past, Johnson may need to wait for his senior season to have a larger role in the Kansas offense.