2014 NCAA tournament preview: Eastern Kentucky

Season summary: Eastern Kentucky slid into the tournament after defeating No. 1 seed Belmont in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game thanks to the scoring of guard Corey Walden, whose career-high 29 points lifted the Colonels to an NCAA tournament berth. Walden is second in points, rebounds and assists per game for Eastern Kentucky and was the x-factor in getting the Colonels into the tournament. Eastern Kentucky failed to garner a victory in limited chances against ranked opponents, although it did take now-ranked VCU into overtime. The Colonels are an efficient offensive team, knocking down 49 percent of their field goals—a clip that ranks 11th in the country. They rack up 8.8 steals a game—the sixth highest total in the nation—and utilize those turnovers to spark offensive production. Though Eastern Kentucky made a surprise run into the tournament, its lack of recognized talent may be its biggest downfall in making it past the Round of 64.

How they make a run: Walden and senior Glenn Cosey put up spectacular offensive numbers, and the Colonels cause opponents to cough up the ball at a high rate.

How they falter: The Colonels fail to make perimeter shots and are unable to compete with the more athletic teams from major conferences.