Jared Nickens and Jaylen Brantley started the Running Man Challenge at Maryland. (Instagram/Jared Nickens)

You've seen the "Running Man Challenge" somewhere on the Internet. It's gotten out of control at this point, with local newscasters damn near killing the fun with their own off-tempo interpretations over the last couple of days. 

At some point, you were probably bobbing your head to the thumping bass of the 1996 hit "My Boo," by the Ghost Town DJs, and wondering two things: 

1. Where did this start? 

2. Why this song? 

College basketball occupies a unique spot in the national sports scene, with an explosion of attention right around the NCAA Tournament and then a long down period out of the spotlight. What the average unassuming person may not realize is how much time these players spend around each other during the whole calendar year working on their craft. When reporters and media members are no long crawling over every inch of the team's facility, these guys get the place to themselves.

That's where the "Running Man Challenge," set to the tune of "My Boo," started. In the Maryland locker room with sophomores Jaylen Brantley and Jared Nickens. 

"We didn’t plan on it being as big as it is, it really just started with us messing around and having fun in the locker room," Brantley told the team's site. "I realized it was probably going to be big when Villanova responded to our challenge of 'Who wants to battle?' on Instagram after one of the videos. It’s just really taken off since then."

Nickens says he's seen "thousands" of other "Running Man Challenge" videos and has promised a brand new dance in the near future. But for now we all get to embrace the glory of the "My Boo"-powered internet trend.  

One of Maryland's early challenges (there are several more posted to Nickens' Instagram account worth checking out).

A video posted by Jared Nickens (@jnickens_) onApr 13, 2016 at 2:57pm PDT

The response Villanova, featuring title game hero Kris Jenkins.

A video posted by Mikal Bridges (@mikalbridges) onApr 14, 2016 at 11:22am PDT

Villanova wasn't the only recent champ to get in on the fun, as UConn's women flaunted their trophies and nets in a video for the challenge.

Louisville's Damion Lee with a mid-practice Running Man Challenge:

Then it exploded beyond college basketball, into the NBA with Justise Winslow and college football with Oregon and Rutgers.

So why "My Boo"? The Ghost Town DJs song was featured as a cut on the So So Def Bass All-Stars compilation album, released in 1996 on Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings label, based out of Atlanta. "My Boo" is a great jam that has taken on a new life thanks to these college basketball players and our never-ending thirst for nostalgia. While the sound of the song is pure 1990's drum-and-bass goodness, the rhythms and melodies are timeless. 

So kick back, grab your floaties and turn up the volume for the song of the summer in 2016, 20 years after it's initial release. 

CBS Sports has reached out to members of the Ghost Town DJs for comment and will continue to follow this story as it develops.