With Williams and Head in the NBA, Brown and fellow senior James Augustine led the Illini to a 26–7 record. Brown had played shooting guard for his first three years at Illinois. But since Deron Williams, who played point guard in his years at Illinois, had left for the NBA, Brown returned to his primary position of point guard for his senior season. His last game was the 67–64 loss to Washington in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. After the season, Brown was named Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press. He received the sixth-most votes, making him the leading vote getter on the second team. Also, he was named the winner of the Bob Cousy Award for 2006, given to the nation's top collegiate male point guard.