Chris Del Conte has top-five expectations for all sports, and men's basketball isn't living up to them

Just before the Texas Longhorns tipped off at Arkansas to battle the Razorbacks, Texas athletics director Chris Del Conte spoke at the annual Texas Athletics Town Hall and revealed a new edict that elevated the previous “top 10 in every sport” standard.

[BOOKMARK: Check Inside Texas daily for FREE Texas Longhorns content]

“Our goal at the University of Texas when we have our head coaches retreat is to have every single sport be in the top five in the country,” Del Conte said. “If we do that, if we live up to that standard– sometimes we do not. But if we live up to that standard, we have a chance to win a national championship in every sport. At other programs, they can talk about it. At the University of Texas, we deliver on it.”

To be sure, there are a number of programs that not only are living up to the top-10 standard, but also the top-five standard. A number of teams, namely Vic Schaefer‘s women’s basketball program and Mike White‘s softball program, are No. 1 in one of the major polls covering their sport. Texas was in the national top two for five sports during 2023-24 season and are in contention for titles during 2024-25. Bob Bowman has continued the Longhorns’ dominance in swimming and diving. Of course, Steve Sarkisian has football rolling and carrying the standard, with back-to-back final four finishes in the College Football Playoff.

There’s a notable outlier, and Del Conte was questioned about it Thursday night.

Texas lost 86-81 in Fayetteville last night to the Arkansas, suffering a season sweep at the hands of the Razorbacks. This was despite Tre Johnson going for freshman single-game school record 39 points on 14-for-28 shooting, including a 7-for-11 mark from three. The Longhorns dropped to 16-12 and 5-10 in the SEC. They’re dropping fast in the numerous bracketology projections, and they have to win out to have a chance of making the field of 68.

Longhorn fans can look and see Johnson setting records on a team that’s not winning. They can also look to Houston, Lubbock, College Station, and elsewhere in the state to find basketball programs that not only are considered contenders, but that have kept themselves in that category for much of the past decade. Although Texas has made the last four NCAA Tournaments, and while current head coach Rodney Terry has tournament wins at Texas to his name both as interim and permanent head coach, the .333 conference record and potential to miss March Madness is frustrating for fans when they can look around the state and see success.

During the open mic portion of his town hall meeting, Del Conte was put on the spot about men’s basketball and was asked if he could speak about the direction of the program.

“The direction of basketball, it ebbs and flows,” Del Conte said. “Two years ago we were in the Elite Eight. Last year we were in the round of 32. Not having the year we all expected. I understand that. Some days some of our programs are at the top of the heap and they work their way through it. That’s the reality of sport. I get it. At the end of the day, as we look at every one of our programs. I have those discussions at the end of the year.”

A few hours later, the Longhorns lost to the Razorbacks.

Frustration has mounted for fans when it comes to Terry. He was booed by a pocket of fans when introduced ahead of the home game versus Alabama. And though he did great things guiding the Longhorns as an interim in 2023, Texas has not approached top-five status with him as head coach, let alone top-10.

The only way to compete for the national championship in men’s basketball is to be in the NCAA Tournament. Right now, the Longhorns may be on the outside looking in.

There are still games to play before Del Conte has his end-of-season talks with Terry. The strength of the SEC means that an 8-10 record, one that would be created only by winning out and defeating Georgia, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma, could earn the Longhorns a place in the field of 68. Arguably, a 7-11 SEC record could as well, depending on how the selection committee views the SEC Tournament and the Longhorns’ prior resume.

[Join Inside Texas TODAY for just ONE DOLLAR!]

But there are circling questions about the future of the program under Terry, and they were laid bare for Del Conte straight from members of the fan base on Wednesday night. And those questions came minutes after he said that he expects programs in his athletic department to be competing at a top-five level that Texas under Terry has not approached in the last two seasons.