MILWAUKEE, Wis — Although dominant in the post for much of the early going this season, the Badgers appeared more like strangers in a strange land Saturday night.

Prior to Wisconsin’s 63-54 loss at the hands of Marquette at the Bradley Center, Golden Eagles head coach Tom Crean decided to deviate from his typical three-guard attack in favor of a frontloaded lineup. The risky maneuver paid dividends as the Golden Eagles beat the Badgers at their own game, serving up a decisive victory on the boards and securing numerous second-chance opportunities for the lethal perimeter-shooting tandem of Travis Diener and Steve Novak.

“We didn’t feel, throughout the week, that we could match up with our three-guard lineup with the way they play inside,” Crean said. “Alando Tucker is a hard matchup for anybody in America and so is Mike Wilkinson, and that’s the reason we went with (6-foot-10 forward) Chris Grimm. We definitely wanted to match up with them rather than have them match down with us, and it worked out.”

With both Wisconsin (34.6 percent from the field) and Marquette (36.8 shooting percentage) struggling to knock down shots, the Golden Eagles’ dominance on the offensive glass proved a crucial advantage. Marquette topped Wisconsin 14-4 on the offensive boards, leading to 14 second-chance points to the Badgers’ six. Marquette held overall rebound superiority, finishing with a 44-28 advantage.

“Long shots, long rebounds,” Ryan said of the disparity on the glass. “There were balls bouncing everywhere, and we didn’t get ’em. [Diener] shot one that hit the underneath part of the rim, and it hit our guys so fast and so hard that it went out of bounds … on his worst shot of the night. We don’t even get the rebound on that one.”

Marquette forward Marcus Jackson registered a career game, ripping down 15 rebounds on the night, 11 of which came in the second half.

On the Wisconsin side, the boards were few and scattered. Forwards Zach Morley and Brian Butch, along with guard Clayton Hanson, shared the team’s top mark off the glass with five apiece. With forward Mike Wilkinson hampered by a leg injury, the gritty senior proved a non-factor in the post.

“We thought Mike would be able to do some things early, but that didn’t happen,” Ryan said.

Knowing the value of a Diener: It’s been almost nine months since point guard Devin Harris last donned Wisconsin cardinal, and perhaps at no point has the void left by his departure been felt more deeply than Saturday night. Starting at the one spot, two-guard convert Sharif Chambliss shot 4-for-11 from the field, failed to draw a foul in 26 minutes on the floor and struggled to establish an offensive rhythm.

In stark contrast, Marquette’s Diener spent the evening showcasing his veteran poise. The Marquette point man — who may be on pace to an All-American campaign — rebounded after struggling with a sore ankle against North Dakota State to tally a noteworthy performance against the Badgers.

Despite missing practice this week due to the same ankle injury, and despite rolling his other ankle late in the first half, Diener registered 29 points on the night while draining five shots from beyond the arc.

“I probably should lead the way on never taking him for granted because of the things that he does,” Crean said. “He did more than just play well tonight — he led well.”

As the halftime buzzer sounded, Crean decided to haul the team’s grease boards down to where Marquette trainer Jayd Grossman and his staff were working on Diener’s ankle, just so the senior guard could participate in the mid-game talks.

Although his shooting percentage from the field dropped notably after halftime, Diener led the Marquette rally to open the half and also drew four fouls in the closing ten minutes of play.

“God gave him something special when it comes to competing and bringing an intensity level,” Crean said. “To me, I think that’s his greatness. He can score; he can pass; he makes others better — all that’s a part of it — but he brings a confidence when he’s on the floor.”