TC's Basketball Pre-Season Reading List

October 16th is just around the corner. That means one thing: College Basketball season is upon us. Hang on for the ride because this one is going to be interesting, especially in the ACC where there has been an influx of talent.

As the season approaches, I wanted to share with you some of the outstanding resources that are or will be available for the upcoming season. As you may have noticed, TC has been a little quiet on the writing front recently and it's because his career has gotten in the way with his basketball writing. For the time being, check out these reads to help you get your fix for college hoops:

The Websites:

Ken Pomeroy: As many of you who frequent the site know, this is a personal favorite and a site I visit multiple times per day. If you're a stat geek an interested in tempo free stats and a different outlook on the game, check out his site. This is from where I pull a lot of my data to make some of the points I raise during the season. These aren't the conventional numbers used to rank teams and his standings are typical very different from the AP/Coaches/RPI polls.

Statsheet.com: Need a place to find your stats about football and basketball teams? Check this out. You can sit and make any graph you like and find a lot of great news. There is a lot to be found here if you take the time to work through the site.

The ACC.com: Pretty self explanatory. Lots of good articles from Bill Hass.

College Hoops.net: Tons and tons and tons of information about every team in the country. Lots of good resources to be found here.

Basketball Prospectus: Are you a fan of Football Outsiders? Check out this site. Great writing about the NBA and College Basketball.

Rush the Court: Tons of material here. Quality writing and interesting perspectives. Always an interesting read. They are going through a ton of team previews right now so check them out for sure.

There are also a ton of SBNation Basketball sites to check out, like Blogging the Bracket and Searching For Billy Edelin. Clearly, this is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good place to start. Feel free to contribute any links you like in the comments section.

Paper Back Resources

Into books? Reference books? The check these out for the upcoming season:

Blue Ribbon Year Book 2009-2010:  This is the book and is often referred to as the 'bible' of college basketball. Used by man announcers, analysts and writers, the Blue Ribbon Year Book is your resource for every team in the country. Heard of EA Sports? Well, they used this book as their research for NCAA 2009. It's not out yet, but you can order it at the link provided. Highly recommended for any college basketball fan.

Basketball Prospectus 2009-2010: Love stats? Enjoy the writings of the like of Bill James, or that style of writing? Then you should definitely check out this reference. It happens to be written by....Ken Pomeroy. You can buy it here when it comes out.

Basketball on Paper by Dean Oliver: I'm still working my way through this one. But, if you're a fan of basketball, it is an absolute must read, particularly if you are into statistics. This is the foundation of the tempo free stats. A majority of the book is spent on the NBA. But, the book is written in a very user friendly entertaining way. Highly recommended.

Happy reading and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these books. Please feel free to add any other resources you enjoy or have found to be particularly helpful.