Minnesota has fallen on hard times over the last few weeks, losing its last five games and putting itself on the March Madness bubble, currently on the outside looking in. But star guard Marcus Carr says those struggles don’t have to continue.

Speaking with the media on Tuesday, Carr made it clear that he believes the Golden Gophers can still channel some of that energy they had earlier in the year to knock off premier opponents like Michigan, Iowa and Purdue to close out strong down the stretch. And they’ll need it, too.

“We need to recognize that we’ve had high moments as well as we’ve had low moments,” Carr said in a video captured by Marcus Fuller of the Star Tribune. “But we know we can get back to those high moments and we know what we have to do. It’s just about going out there and executing down the stretch.”

Minnesota is 13-12 with a 6-12 mark in the conference.

Just a few weeks ago, Minnesota was 13-7 with a 6-7 record in B1G play, firmly in the NCAA tournament. But with those five straight losses — including losses to Nebraska and Northwestern — the Gophers will have to fight for a way into the bracket.

Left on Minnesota’s schedule is a trip to Penn State (8-13) and a home game against Rutgers (13-10). If the Gophers can win both and get a few victories in the B1G tournament, they may still be able to earn an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament.

They’ll definitely need some of that magic to make it happen.