Showtime says change in series forced Wichita State cut

Showtime issued a statement explaining its decision to cut Wichita State’s men’s basketball team from an all-access series on Thursday evening.

The statement did not address Wichita State’s implication that affiliation with shoe companies affected the decision.

“The project in development was initially conceived as a series and has evolved into a 90-minute special,” a Showtime spokesman wrote. “As such, the network was forced to make a difficult creative decision about the number of schools that could be effectively covered. We have great respect for the WSU Shockers basketball program and we are disappointed that we can’t include them.”

On Wednesday, WSU told fans that the Shockers would not be included in the series. Associate athletic director John Brewer noted the two schools cut (WSU and Oklahoma) wear Nike gear.

“Showtime and IMG Productions are producing a 90-minute documentary that will be distributed via Showtime, featuring Notre Dame and Maryland, two of the largest Under Armour schools in the country,” Brewer said.

Earlier this month, a seven-person crew from IMG Productions began documenting practices and games. The first one-hour episode of “The Road to March Madness” was scheduled to air Tuesday and continue weekly until March 16. WSU, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Maryland were scheduled as the participating teams.

On Wednesday morning, a letter arrived confirming Showtime booted the Shockers. The production crew departed sometime earlier this week after documenting Saturday’s game against Missouri State.

“I guess that’s their loss,” WSU guard Fred VanVleet said. “It’s typical. That’s our story, I guess, for the guys we’ve got and the team we’ve got. No hard feelings.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2015 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Showtime says change in series forced Wichita State cut."