In his 11th season at Bradley, DeRose steered the Braves to the NCAA Elite Eight, with a postseason run that included come-from-behind victories over former national champions Indiana and Maryland. After the tragic death of Danny Dahlquist on the eve of the season, DeRose pulled his players together to win a share of their third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, their first MVC tourney crown and their first NCAA tourney win.