NASHVILLE — The last thing Arkansas coach John Calipari needs while everything is finally rolling is a big distraction, but the Texas Longhorns are providing exactly that.

In an apparent attempt to undermine coach Rodney Terry while he’s in the midst of trying to guide his team to a spot in the NCAA Tournament with wins at the SEC Tournament, Texas athletics director Chris del Conte has reportedly made it known he doesn’t think his coach is an alpha who can compete in the jungle that is the SEC these days.

Beyond taking a shot at his coach, he also supposedly has a list ready to go if he can convince people in Arkansas to cough up all the money it would take to make a big splash coaching change.

“According to [the Houston Chronicle’s Kirk] Bohls, Del Conte already has at least three names he is looking at to potentially replace Terry — Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder, Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, and Arkansas Razorbacks coach John Calipari,” Horns on SI writer Matt Galatzan wrote Wednesday.

When Chris Beard was fired at Texas for a domestic abuse situation it was Terry who stepped in. At the time, there was a lot of discussion about the Longhorns potentially coming after then Arkansas coach Eric Musselman who was thriving in the NCAA Tournament with back-to-back Elite 8 appearances and a Sweet 16 along with back-to-back wins over No. 1 seeds.

Terry had great success as the interim, leading the Longhorns to a Big XII Tournament championship and a run to the Elite 8. His players had reached a point to where they would have revolted if Terry hadn’t gotten the job.

However, Texas dropped off to 21-13 and a .500 Big XII record before being bounced in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. That has now been followed by an 18-14 campaign in the Longhorns’ inaugural SEC season and a 6-12 conference record, which was good enough for No. 14 in the league.

Texas is currently a bubble team that could use a few more wins to definitely land a coveted spot in the NCAA Tournament. If that doesn’t happen, it won’t take long until Longhorns boosters start running to Fayetteville with as much money as they can muster provided Del Conte can convince people it’s worth having a good basketball team in addition to what’s going on in football.

While Bohls says he can confirm Del Conte definitely has his eye on Calipari, there is one major issue in place. Arkansas has reportedly included a non-compete clause in his contract that keeps him from leaving Fayetteville to go coach another SEC school.

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Oliver Miller, a beefy center who helped Arkansas advance to the Final Four before playing nine seasons in the NBA, has died. He was 54.

Several of Miller’s former teams announced his death Wednesday, as did the National Basketball Retired Players Association. A cause of death was not disclosed, but Arkansas had announced during an event honoring its 1990 Final Four team that Miller had cancer, and Miller thanked the team for its video tribute to him while posting it on social media last month.

Known as the “The Big O” for his 6-foot-9, 280-pound frame that ballooned to well over 300 pounds during his NBA career, Miller was a standout at Arkansas from 1988-92. He averaged 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in four seasons, helping Naismith Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson’s 1989-90 team reach the Final Four before losing to Duke. He earned Southwest Conference Player of the Year honors in 1991.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Arkansas legend Oliver Miller,” Arkansas said in a social media post. “A key member of the 1990 Final Four team, an SWC Hall of Famer, a first-round NBA draft pick and a true embodiment of the Razorback spirit. We love you Big O. Our thoughts are with his family.”

Miller was drafted by Phoenix in 1992 with the No. 22 overall pick. He went on to average 7.4 points and 5.9 rebounds for the Suns, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and Minnesota Timberwolves. He also played in Europe, the Continental Basketball Association, the United States Basketball League and with the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Raptors held a moment of silence for Miller before their home game Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Miller was selected by Toronto as the last pick of the 1995 expansion draft.

“He holds a special place in our history as a member of our inaugural team in 1995, and we are so grateful for all his contributions,” the Raptors said on social media. “We send our deepest condolences to the Miller family.”