Well, I told you guys that I'd let you know when the College Basketball Prospectus book that I was a part of creating was on sale, so here you go. It's here!
You can download all 343 pages of college basketball preview goodness right now in PDF form for the low, low cost of $9.89. If you've ever paid close to $10 for Lindy's or Athlon or any of those previews, you know what a screaming deal that is for about 5x the actual information. I'm not just saying that because I was one of the authors; I made sure to get my hands on a copy of CBBP in previous years before I had anything to do with it.
If you don't know what College Basketball Prospectus is all about, here's our little sell job from the website:
"If you don't buy this book, you're not trying as a college hoops fan." — Andy Glockner, SI.com
In the four years since its inception, Basketball Prospectus has quickly become required reading for anyone who's passionate about college basketball and wants to better understand both the game and their favorite team. Now the kind of Prospectus hoops insight that the New York Times has called "indispensable" has been collected into one definitive book for the coming year, the College Basketball Prospectus 2011-12.
Combining the most advanced statistical analysis with intensive scouting and an inquisitive love of the game, the College Basketball Prospectus contains previews of every Division I team. You'll also find original essays on everything from forecasting the 2012 draft and ranking all 344 D-I teams in the preseason to defining the role of recruiting and explaining the strange persistence of the Ratings Percentage Index. Prospectus takes note of sound bites when appropriate but is above all based on on-court realities.
Whether you're a fan of the A-10 or A-Sun, SWAC or WAC, Big West, Mountain West, Great West, or West Coast, the College Basketball Prospectus is required reading.
"Basketball Prospectus is a fantastic tool for anyone in college basketball. It's not just some guy's opinion. It's analysis based on hard data that makes you really think about the game."
— Eric Reveno, Head Coach, University of Portland"Without Basketball Prospectus even the most trained eye would fail to discern every critical aspect of a team or player. I rely on Prospectus to fill in gaps, persuade me to view the game differently, and to bolster or change my beliefs based on fact and not perception. Prospectus presents true team and player values, makes reliable projections, and makes it all easy to understand so any fan can get more out of the game."
— Jay Bilas, ESPN Basketball Analyst
You can actually download a couple of sample previews. If you want to see the depth of what you'll find in the WSU preview -- as well as all the other major conference teams -- download North Carolina. (Besides, don't you want to know all about UNC before the Carrier Classic on Friday, anyway?) If you're curious about the mid-major previews, you can read about BYU.
Basically, it's in the style of the kind of analysis you've come to appreciate at CougCenter.
If you like things you can actually hold in your hand, a glossy paperback version of the book will be available at Amazon before too long.