SAN DIEGO (AP) — Mark Few liked what he saw unfold at San Diego State's Viejas Arena when his No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs made their first foray outside of Spokane, Washington, this season.
A double-digit victory in a packed, loud arena. Toughness from a deep, experienced lineup that once again is driven to win an elusive national championship. And, peeking a few seasons ahead, he saw an SDSU team that he views more as a future Pac-12 partner than rival.
Behind big man Graham Ike and guard Ryan Nembhard, Gonzaga displayed its size, speed and strength in beating Brian Dutcher's young, hobbled squad 80-67 on Monday night. The Bulldogs returned the favor after SDSU won 84-74 last December at The Kennel in Spokane, which ended their 59-game nonconference winning streak.
Both teams reached the Sweet Sixteen last season. Gonzaga is the only team in the nation to reach the Sweet Sixteen the last nine seasons as the Bulldogs extended their streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to 25 straight.
Back in Spokane on Wednesday night, the Zags improved to 5-0 by routing Long Beach State 84-41, no doubt firing up expectations in the Lilac City and beyond.
In a college sports climate dominated by NIL and the transfer portal, the Zags are stacked. Of the 12 possible players who could return from last year, 10 did, including all four starters. They returned 81% of last season's scoring and 71% of their rebounding. Six of its top seven scorers are back, along with 81.4% of minutes played.
“We're tougher,” Few said. “We're physically tougher, we're mentally tougher, at least so far in the season. A lot of the same guys from last year. That's what happens when you stick around a couple of years.
“You've got to have both to be able to go on the road in a place like this and dig out wins," Few added. "That's one thing San Diego State is going to bring. They're going to bring physicality, they're going to bring great athleticism, they're going to challenge you in every facet of the game.”
Hoops powerhouse Gonzaga announced on Oct. 1 that it will move from the West Coast Conference, where it has dominated for most of the last quarter-century, into a Pac-12 conference being rebuilt around football. Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, Gonzaga will become the eighth member along with holdovers Washington State and Oregon State, and fellow newcomers Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, Utah State and Colorado State from the Mountain West.
While not as dominant as the Zags, the Aztecs have been one of the West Coast's best programs for several years, first under Steve Fisher and then Dutcher, his longtime assistant who is in his eighth season as head coach.
“They're just going to be such a great partner, because they value basketball and they support basketball,” said Few, who's in his 26th season as head coach. “They understand, when you have a national program like we both have, it pays unbelievable dividends to the university, to the community, to the city and the state, like the Northwest and down here. They get that. We're looking for other like-minded places to partner with us.”
Few said he would often chat with Fisher about the possibility of the Zags and Aztecs playing in the same conference. Fisher watches Aztecs games with his wife, Angie, from the second row above Steve Fisher Court.
“We talked about it forever,” Few said. “I'm happy for Dutch. He's doing a great job."
San Diego State reached its first Final Four in 2023, when Lamont Butler's thrilling buzzer-beater against Florida Atlantic lifted the Aztecs into the national championship game, where they lost 76-59 to UConn. SDSU was routed again by UConn, 82-52, in last season's Sweet Sixteen, while Gonzaga lost to Purdue.
Gonzaga opened this season with a 101-63 win against then-No. 8 Baylor at the Spokane Arena. It was Gonzaga’s biggest victory margin over a top-10 opponent, over a team it lost to in the 2021 national title game in Indianapolis.
Nembhard, who had 19 points and 10 assists against the Aztecs, said the Zags “did a really good job, actually,” of handling the pressure of playing at Viejas Arena. "Every time they went on a little run and the crowd got loud, we did a good job staying composed and trusting our offensive sets.”
Nembhard will be gone when the Bulldogs and Aztecs are in the Pac-12 together, but thinks "the rivalry will be great. This is a great program. I played them a couple of times at Creighton, and they always gave us a tough game. They have a great fan base, a great coach over there, and they play really hard. I think it’ll be a great rivalry to come.”
Gonzaga forward Graham Ike looks to shoot as San Diego State forward Magoon Gwath defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego State head coach Brian Dutcher reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Gonzaga Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few gestures during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against San Diego State Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Gonzaga head coach Mark Few looks on during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against San Diego State Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been a target for investigations since his early days in office, and the swarm of cases since his failed reelection bid in 2022 has left him in ever-deeper legal jeopardy.
In the latest indictment Thursday, he was accused of attempting a coup to keep himself in the presidency. In another case, the electoral court ruled the far-right leader ineligible to run for office until 2030.
There are dozens of other probes that could produce criminal charges at low-level courts, where he could appeal any eventual conviction. But the country's Supreme Court will have the final say regarding more than five in-depth investigations, including into the alleged coup attempt, which could land the former president behind bars or under house arrest.
Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing in all of the cases, and his allies have alleged they are political persecution, while recognizing the severity of the legal risks on multiple fronts.
Here's a look at the biggest threats and where they stand:
Federal police on Thursday indicted Bolsonaro and 36 others for allegedly attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections. The indictment is sealed, but among other things authorities had been investigating whether he incited the Jan. 8, 2022 riot in which his followers ransacked the Supreme Court and presidential palace in the capital of Brasilia.
STATUS: Police sent their findings to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet. He will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or toss the investigation.
Brazil’s highest electoral court in June ruled that Bolsonaro used government communication channels in a meeting with diplomats to promote his reelection bid and sow distrust about the vote. The case focused on a meeting the prior year, during which Bolsonaro used government staffers, the state television channel and the presidential palace in Brasilia to tell foreign ambassadors that the country’s electronic voting system was rigged. The ruling rendered him ineligible for office until 2030, although he has insisted that he will run in the 2026 race.
The court also found that Bolsonaro abused his power during Brazil’s Independence Day festivities, a month before the election. The ruling didn’t add years to Bolsonaro’s ineligibility, but made any appeal less likely to succeed. A third case is also pending at the court.
STATUS: Bolsonaro’s appeal of the initial ruling was denied.
Bolsonaro has been indicted for directing an official to tamper with a public health database to make it appear as though he and his 12-year-old daughter had received the COVID-19 vaccine in order to bypass U.S. entry requirements. During the pandemic, he railed against the vaccine, characterized the choice to receive a shot as a matter of personal freedom and has repeatedly said he never did so.
The Federal Police accused Bolsonaro of criminal association and inserting false data into public records, which carry maximum penalties of 4 and 12 years in prison, respectively. It was his first indictment since leaving office.
STATUS: Brazil's Supreme Court sent the indictment to the prosecutor-general, who is weighing whether to use it to press charges. Local media reported that he was seeking to consult American authorities about whether Bolsonaro used the forged document to enter the country, and that having done so could result in U.S. legal action.
Federal Police have probed whether Bolsonaro directed officials to smuggle luxury jewelry worth millions into Brazil from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, then acted to prevent them from being incorporated into the presidential collection and instead retain ownership for himself.
Investigators summoned Bolsonaro for questioning in April and August of 2023. He has returned the jewelry in question.
STATUS: The Federal Police indicted Bolsonaro for money laundering and criminal association, according to a source with knowledge of the accusations. A second source confirmed the indictment, although not for which specific crimes. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.
Brazil’s Federal Police is investigating Bolsonaro for inciting crimes against public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, which include encouraging people not to wear masks and causing alarm about non-existent danger of vaccines accelerating development of AIDS. A Senate inquiry commission also spent months investigating his pandemic-era actions and decisions, and recommended nine criminal charges.
Brazil’s former prosecutor-general Augusto Aras, widely seen as a Bolsonaro ally, decided not to file any charges based on the lawmakers' findings. They have urged his Aras' successor to reopen the case.
STATUS: The investigation is ongoing.
Brazil's Supreme Court in 2020 ordered an investigation into a network allegedly spreading defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices. The probe has yielded the imprisonment of lawmakers from the former president's circle and raids of his supporters' homes. In 2021, Bolsonaro was included as a target.
As an offshoot of that probe, the Federal Police is also investigating whether a group operating inside Bolsonaro’s presidential palace produced social media content aimed at undermining the rule of law. The group, allegedly comprised of aides and Bolsonaro’s politician son, has been widely referred to as a digital militia and “the hate cabinet.”
STATUS: Both investigations are ongoing.
Biller reported from Rio de Janeiro
FILE - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro votes in the run-off presidential election as he runs for another term in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Oct. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado, Pool, File)
FILE - Police stand on the other side of a window at Planalto Palace that was shattered by supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro after they stormed the official workplace of the president in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
FILE - This photo provided by Brazil's Federal Revenue Department shows jewelry, part of an investigation into gifts received by ex-President Jair Bolsonaro during his term, seized by customs authorities at Guarulhos International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the week of March 24, 2023. (Brazil's Federal Revenue Department via AP, File)
FILE - A demonstrator holds a banner showing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro adjusting his mask in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug. 7, 2020, as the Central Workers Unions (CUT) protest his handling of the new coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
FILE - In a silhouette, Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the media upon arrival to the airport in Brasilia, Brazil, June 29, 2023, where Supreme Electoral Court judges evaluate the case which claims he abused his power by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and cast unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
