Big Dance: Michigan Counters Loyola, Rolls Out Its Own OG

Suddenly, it's become sorta awkward to call one Final Four semi a fight to the finish.

After all, the resident headliners are 100 and 98 years old, respectively.

11-seed Loyola-Chicago came to March Madness outta nowhere -- and the Valley Conference -- with what's now a 32-5 record and team chaplain Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, which has proven to be quite the charmed combination.

 

For the record, as of this moment, Sister Jean's bobblehead is now the most popular of all time, selling 5000 and counting. The previous top draw was Clemson's National Championsip mini-statue:

If the Ramblers weren't the nation's sentimental favorites already, Sister Jean's kinda put 'em over the top.

However, in the vaunted lore of Michigan athletics, no challenge has ever gone unanswered.

And they've stepped up with their own Original Girl, complements of former Wolverine hoopster Jalen Rose.

His grandmother -- Mary Belle Hicks, bringing a century of feistiness -- has arrived to carry the Maize & Blue into the fray:

 

Nothing like a semi-final undercard featuring an OG smackdown.

 

So the stage is set. Ms Hicks may have some catching up to do, but remember that her DNA had a key role in creating Michigan's Fab Five.

More importantly, it had nothing to do with knowing how many timeouts a team gets.

 

Hell, if Ms Hicks lived through that, there's not much else Sister Jean can throw at her that she hasn't weathered before.

But for the good of all concerned, let's hope the Ramblers and Wolverines don't produce any heart-stopping moments.