In the locker room following the Michigan men's basketball team's 66-51 loss to Illinois on Jan. 14, each player echoed a similar sentiment.

"We just didn't make our shots tonight."

It seems like the Wolverines have been saying that a lot lately.

So on Tuesday morning, the Michigan players had individual workouts to focus on their shot.

"We're just trying to get our stroke back," fifth-year senior guard David Merritt said.

Since the Illinois game, Michigan has lost five of six games and made just 39.1 percent of its shots. Before the skid, the team was shooting 44.2 percent from the field.

The Wolverines have been outshot in every game during the six-game stretch, including three in which the opposing team shot better than 50 percent from the field.

Redshirt freshman Laval Lucas-Perry has especially struggled as of late. Lucas-Perry is known for having one of the smoothest releases on the team and scored in double figures in his first six games as a Wolverine. But in his last six games, Lucas-Perry is just 10-of-35 for 32 points.

When he worked on the fundamentals of his shot with Michigan coach John Beilein on Tuesday, the pair didn't find much wrong with Lucas-Perry's form.

"We shot one day, and he shot so well, it was like, 'there's nothing broken here,'" Beilein said. "So you just keep going. When you're open, you got to just to continue to keep shooting. You also got to leave him alone because there can be a tendency to overthink a bit like a golfer."

The key for the Wolverines to bounce back this evening against Penn State may be simple — stop overanalyzing and just shoot.

The Nittany Lions (6-3 Big Ten, 17-5 overall) beat Michigan 73-58 two weeks ago when they shot a blistering 58 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from behind the arc.

And it wasn't a fluke. Penn State upset No. 14 Michigan State 72-68 in East Lansing on Sunday by shooting 56.3 percent.

"They're one of the most dangerous teams because of the fact they run great sets, great plays," Beilein said. "If you can win at Michigan State, you can beat Duke at Duke."

Tonight's game begins a tough three-game stretch that includes at No. 1 Connecticut on Saturday and Michigan State on Tuesday.

And with Michigan sitting squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, the players know they can't afford to lose all three of these critical games.

"These next three games can make or break our season," Merritt said. "The sense of urgency is definitely there. ... Penn State is a really good team, and this league is so tough this year that if we can get this one at home, that will set us up nicely against Connecticut."

As for tonight, Beilein simply hopes his team can pick up a win one shot at a time.

"It's important to have some bounce in your step," Beilein said. "The way you get a bounce in your step is by getting wins."