Esa Ahmad’s freshman season has not been a failure. He’s starting for and logging major reps for a team that might win the top-rated conference in the country. He’d had a hand in a win at Hilton. He matters.

But it hasn’t been exactly what was expected, either. Bob Huggins, for example, thought the Mountaineers could run (more) offense through him this season, and in October he said, simply but confidently, “His issues aren’t going to be offensive.” Well, that hasn’t been the case.

Ahmad scored 14 points Saturday, and it was a career high, but it was just his second game in double figures. He has modest stats.

But he’s not alone. Let’s look around.

There are a handful of star freshmen in the country, and though they again populate the top of most mock drafts, it’s a smaller number (of locks, at least) than in recent years.

In the Big 12, Oklahoma State point guard Jawun Evans is probably the league’s rookie of the year, but he hasn’t played in two weeks. After him, who’s the league’s freshman of the year? Is it Dean Wade? It’s probably Dean Wade. Who’s on the all-rookie team?

And here’s the point: This is not a year for freshmen, at least in the Big 12. Kansas pulled in a shiny recruiting class, but its star freshmen, including preseason freshman of the year Cheick Diallo, aren’t doing much for a team that might win the league again.

This ought not be a huge surprise. Remember, back in October we were sort of amazed by the returning talent in the league.

The top teams in the conference’s 10-team preseason poll have something significant in common. Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Texas all return four starters.

Baylor and WVU, which followed the top four in the voting, return three starters, but the Bears welcome back the 2015 sixth man of the year, Taurean Prince, while the Mountaineers will feature Jevon Carter, who started four games last season and finished third on the team in minutes per game.

“It’s going to be competitive,” Prince said. “You’ve got some dudes in the upper class and some seniors who’ve got a lot on the line as far as families and situations outside of basketball. When you’ve got those types of people on the floor, they’re hungry and they realize time is not on their side anymore, which makes them play harder.”

For the first time in league history, four of the five first-team all-conference picks last season are back for the following season. That hasn’t happened in a major conference in five years.

The Mountaineers certainly brought back a lot of experience and productivity, and players like Jaysean Paige and Tarik Phillip have performed well beyond what last season’s numbers and probably even October forecasts suggested they would. It’s something those around Ahmad are careful to remind him of as he tries to close with a surge this season.

It’s a factor you have to consider for all the freshmen in this league and for WVU’s best recruit since Devin Ebanks.

“I try to keep his confidence up and let him know, ‘You’re a freshman. Whatever gets thrown at you, let it be thrown at you and run with it,’ ” forward Devin Williams said.

For much of the season, Ahmad started in the frontcourt with Williams and Jon Holton, though Holton did not start Saturday, his first game back from a four-game suspension.

Williams is the team’s centerpiece on offense, and he and Holton are Nos. 4 and 5 in the Big 12 in rebounding and average 16.5 per game, leaving only a few opportunities for Ahmad. Nate Adrian started for Holton and does a favorable Holton impression, though Ahmad had nine points in a win at Iowa State that Holton missed.

Ahmad also starts with guards Jevon Carter and Dax Miles. Carter is the point guard and does much of the ball-handling, and those two do a lot of the shooting. On a team that regularly uses 11 players, Carter and Miles have taken 27 percent of the team’s shots and 43 percent of the 3-point attempts, which, again, leaves fewer chances for Ahmad.

When WVU goes to its bench, the main guards are Paige, who leads the team in scoring and shot attempts, and Phillip, the backup point guard who has the ball often for his own offense or to get others involved.

“I came in as a freshman and started and was forced to do more when I was a freshman — more was put on my plate than I could eat,” Williams said. “You’ve just got to eat it up. If you want to progress and keep climbing and become a better player, there’s some stuff you’ve just got to eat up.”