Just when you thought everything was perfect with the new basketball floor at the Kohl Center ... it has to get replaced.

The new floor, purchased by the University of Wisconsin athletic department with money given for the project by Andy and Susan North, was painted the wrong shade of red and will be replaced with another new floor sometime in December, according to Associate Athletic Director Vince Sweeney.

"The fans probably aren't going to notice the difference," said Sweeney.

Sweeney said the floor was purchased from the Horner Flooring Co., which is located in Dollar Bay, Mich., close to Houghton, Mich.

"We're not replacing it, they're replacing it," Sweeney added.

When Horner was installing the floor earlier this year, Sweeney said one of the Horner representatives noticed something wasn't right with it. "They had an issue, and they were very forthcoming with it," he said.

It's easier for Horner to replace the floor, which costs about $100,000, than to fix it. "My understanding is they'll take it back, resurface it, and it will be sold as nearly as new," said Sweeney.

Sweeney reiterated that Horner couldn't have been better with how it is handling the matter. "They've been very good about it, very professional from a customer service standpoint. We're happy with what they've done. There was very little discussion about it," he said.

WHO ARE THE COUGARS? -- The Badgers' opponent Tuesday night, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, is in its first year as an NCAA Division I program. It played three games over the weekend at a tournament in Charleston and won one of them -- 83-72 over Western Michigan.

The Cougars are led by 6-foot-5 freshman forward Mark Yelovich, who is averaging 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds a game. He is also shooting 52.9 percent overall. Junior guard Barry Wellington averages 13.7 points while junior guard Aamir McCleary averages 12 points.

"They have 13 scholarships, just like everybody else. They've got some players. They played well down in that tournament," said UW coach Bo Ryan.

They are coming to Madison sight unseen. Asked if he watched film of any of the Cougars' games, Ryan said, "We have some but not of what we need, not of any that were just played."

FIVE IN NINE -- Tuesday night's game is one of five the Badgers will play in nine days. They defeated Long Beach State 68-61 Sunday afternoon, and they will play three games at the Paradise Jam tournament in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, starting Friday and finishing Monday.

"This is college basketball," shrugged Ryan.

He doesn't think his players mind all the games. "When you're at that age, 18 to 22, shoot, you could play three a day," he said.