Del Conte can say whatever he wants, and you can interpret it anyway you want, but the fact still stands coaches aren't fired after making it to the second weekend. They're fired for not making the tournament. And if they go on a long enough string of losing in the first or second round, that can do it as well.
I'm not saying you have to be satisfied with making it to the Sweet 16 and nothing more. I'm simply saying it's enough to keep his job.
I also believe college basketball is heading towards a future where we won't see many future star NBA players on college rosters. NBA role players, sure, but not star players. It's going to be more challenging to put together a loaded lineup. What will count for more is having a vision, being able to bring in the right players from the portal, add them to existing players brought in as freshmen and developed, and then getting players bought in to your vision. I feel like it's going to be easier to advance deeper in the tournament in the future than it has in the past. While last year may have been extreme, I don't think it's going to be an anomaly.