Michigan coach John Beilein said it will be almost impossible to simulate Connecticut’s height in preparation for Sunday's game against the Huskies.

UConn will likely start 6-foot-11 Ater Majok, 6-9 Stanley Robinson and 5-9 Alex Oriakhi and bring 7-footer Charles Okwandu and 6-10 Gavin Edwards off the bench. Overall, Connecticut will likely be the tallest team Michigan faces all year. 

Yet the Wolverines will go much smaller with 6-foot-8 DeShawn Sims being their tallest starter.

“When we play against our scout team we are a little bit longer but not 7-feet and 7-feet,” Beilein said. “You can’t do it. You just hope, you’re glad you’ve got the three-ball. They have to match up with us as much as we have to match up with them.”

The meeting of the two teams poses one of the bigger college basketball questions: Which is better to have? Size or speed.

As for the height, Sims doesn’t seem too concerned. He’s already neutralized Ohio State shot blocker Dallas Lauderdale, who runs 6-foot-8, 255 pounds, by scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

But Sims struggled against one of the other taller teams Michigan played this year, Utah, which held him to 10 points and three rebounds. (Although he fought illness throughout that game).

“I definitely play better against bigger guys and I’m not afraid to go up against bigger guys,” Sims said. “That’s the thing, me or my counterpart Zack Novak or Zack Gibson, we play well against big guys.”

Yet Michigan seemingly has to deal with matchup issues relating to height almost nightly.

“You just deal with it,” Sims said. “Sometimes it’s not the taller you are but the tougher you are and the harder you play. If we come out and play hard, the length and height won’t even matter.”

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558, by e-mail at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com or follow along on Twitter @mikerothstein.