The Hilton Magic Legends, a collection of former Iowa State players, suited up against Illinois BC in the first round of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday night.

It was not pretty.

From the start, Hilton Magic Legends were on the back foot. The problem was, they never really looked like making a game of it. Down 53-24 at the half and 74-48 after three quarters, the result was pretty much a wrap after one quarter. In the end, the Legends lost 92-63.

Lack of depth

Coming into a tournament setting like The Basketball Tournament with only six players is not great, but that’s what the Hilton Magic Legends had to deal with on Saturday.

Deonte Burton, Curtis Stinson and Diante Garrett failed to show up for the Legends’ game, leaving the Legends without two of their top offensive players and a veteran leader. 

The Legends came out sloppy, turning the ball over frequently and falling down 25-10 after the first quarter. Meanwhile, Illinois BC used its depth and went nine players deep, keeping fresh and continuing to attack on the offensive end. By the time the third quarter rolled around, the Legends looked exhausted. That only hurt their comeback attempt. 

Offensively, yikes

It was bad.

Royce White turned the ball over in the half-court time after time, there was no real cohesion between the five players who were on the court and Tyrus McGee was the only consistent threat from 3-point range. 

Not a strong showing in any way, shape or form for the Hilton Magic Legends.

Offensively, the Legends shot themselves in the foot often. Far too frequently, the Legends would settle for a contested jumper or try to force their way into the lane without success. 

Illinois BC, on the other hand, shared the ball on the offensive end and got a lot of open jumpers because of it. Jordan Price scored 39 points for Illinois BC, and the Legends were unable to mount any real resistance.