INDIANAPOLIS – With the men’s Big Ten Tournament now in full swing, The Daily Illini caught up with ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews to discuss Illini basketball, Steve Lavin’s hair and being named “sexiest sportscaster.”

Daily Illini: First things first. What keeps Steve Lavin’s hair slicked back so well?

Erin Andrews: You know what? That’s a great question. I mean we’ve looked into everything from Crisco, oil products, I think he likes to say bed head. It’s amazing what goes on. It’s basically a science project, if you will.

DI: What’re the results? What’s your hypothesis?

Andrews: I basically think it’s basically a steady, strong-hold gel. It looks like it’s wet, but it’s really not. It’s as hard as a table.

DI: What do you think of the Illini’s season and their struggles?

Andrews: I think that I’m interested to see how it goes next year. They got to get some recruits in. They got to get some confidence.

DI: What’s your best sports memory?

Andrews: The best memory was the Red Sox World Series; I was there. David Ortiz let me wear his ring.

DI: How about best Illini memory?

Andrews: My gosh, the championship year, the year they went to the championship game. Getting close to guys like Dee Brown and Luther Head, that was just really special. Seeing how well Deron Williams is playing right now in the NBA, it was just a magical year, a fantastic ride.

DI: I know you’re a big Brett Favre fan. What are your feelings now that he’s gone?

Andrews: Come back! Please come back, it’s never too late. Please come back, Brett.

DI: What is your favorite event to cover?

Andrews: I like everything, you know, it just depends on the time of year. When it gets down to crunch time in college and the beginning of baseball season, (those are) always fun. It just depends on the time of year.

DI: I’m sure you’ve been asked this question a lot, but you were named Playboy’s “sexiest sportscaster.” What does that mean to you?

Andrews: That they have no idea I have zits and that I run on five hours of sleep. It was very flattering. It was very nice for the people to vote, but I’m the biggest tomboy out there and don’t look anything like “The Girls Next Door,” like the girls that live with Hugh Hefner. So it was very nice, but come on.

DI: Does that bother you at all? Does it diminish your job at all?

Andrews: No, I mean I know how hard I work. I think people that pay attention know how hard I work. At this point, I got to stop worrying about proving myself to people. It’s all about continuing to get better for myself.

DI: What’s the best thing about your job?

Andrews: Front-row seats. And there really isn’t a line for the women’s room, because there aren’t very many women involved. Oh, and free pretzels sometimes.