SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco firefighters were preparing for a busy night on New Year’s Eve, with the department expecting 100,000 revelers to watch the fireworks along the Embarcadero with a heavy police presence, attracting onlookers from near and far.

“The people here, just the whole excitement, the lights, everything, the food here. It’s San Francisco. Can’t beat it,” said Rob Cheung of Sacramento.

“My new year’s resolution is to try to retire,” said Sandi Castaneda of Redwood City.

At Fire Boat House 35, firefighters were suiting up for any emergencies, including injuries from celebratory gunfire.

On the same night last year, fireworks would prove to be deadly on Treasure Island.

“Unfortunately, it was an 18-year-old kid. He had set off a firework, didn’t go off, and he went over to check over it, stood over it, and he succumbed to his injuries when it did go off,” said Lt. Mariano Elias of the San Francisco Fire Department.

Fireboats patrolled the water, where the professional fireworks display was set off.

The California Highway Patrol is looking for drunk drivers, after making nearly nine hundred arrests statewide during last new year’s maximum enforcement.

“We’ve seen lives ended. We’ve seen people hurt. We’ve seen families destroyed,” said Sgt. Andrew Barclay of the CHP Golden Gate Division.

Officers are warning people to get a sober driver or book a ride-sharing company.

“Whatever the cost is for that ride is going to be far less than a DUI.”

Muni, Caltrain, and SamTrans all offer free rides on New Year’s Eve until the following morning.

Christopher Anderson of Alameda and his girlfriend were on their way to a disco party in the city and celebrated responsibly.

“We just took the ferry to get here, which is a nice way to come in, and then we’re going to take an Uber, and then after that I think we’re going to walk,” said Anderson.

The San Francisco Fire Department had extra ambulances ready to go during the fireworks show and cities like Oakland planned DUI checkpoints.

At least for the moment, ESPN Bracketology expert Joe Lunardi isn’t picking the Gonzaga Bulldogs to come home with another West Coast Conference Tournament championship this season.

Despite being in the No. 1 seed conversation for most of nonleague play, the Zags (9-4, 1-0 WCC) tumbled down to the 4-seed line in ESPN’s latest forecast that was released Tuesday, a few days removed from a 65-62 loss to UCLA. San Francisco, making its first appearance on ESPN Bracketology in 2024-25, is Lunardi’s new pick to earn the WCC’s automatic bid.

Checking in on the 12-seed line, the Dons (12-3, 2-0 WCC) sit at No. 61 in the NET, which is fourth-best in the WCC behind Gonzaga (No. 7), Saint Mary’s (No. 55) and Oregon State (No. 56). The Gaels (11-3, 1-0 WCC) have been teetering on the bubble throughout nonconference play and currently fall in Lunardi’s “First Four Out” grouping with Missouri, Iowa and Northwestern.

The Bulldogs, who were picked to win the WCC in the league’s preseason coaches poll, haven’t had to worry about their postseason aspirations like many in Spokane were doing this time last year. Gonzaga backed up some of its preseason hype with notable wins over Baylor, Arizona State, San Diego State and Indiana during nonleague play. Those victories helped vault Mark Few and company up to No. 3 in the first NET Rankings that were released on Dec. 1. 

San Francisco doesn’t have a marquee win on its resume yet, though an NCAA Tournament case can be made from having zero “bad” losses just as well. That’s sort of where the Dons find themselves heading into the thick of league play, where they’’ have a few opportunities to pick up quality victories outside of just Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s. Beating either one of the league’s top two programs for the past two decades would certainly help the Dons’ postseason case, too.

San Francisco added to its at-large resume following a 97-94 overtime thriller against Santa Clara at the Hilltop on Monday. Senior guards Malik Thomas (34 points) and Marcus Williams (23 points) helped the Dons overcome a 10-point deficit while earning their second Quad 2 win of the season. San Francisco also holds an 84-73 victory over Boise State.

Gonzaga and San Francisco won’t be able to settle things head-to-head style until they meet in Spokane on Feb. 13. The Zags return the favor a few weeks later when they battle the Dons in the regular season finale from the Chase Center on March 1.

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The San Francisco 49ers suffered a heartbreaking 40-34 defeat to the Detroit Lions in their Week 17 matchup on “Monday Night Football.” Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, the 49ers played with pride in their final home game of the 2024 season at Levi’s® Stadium. In a contest that featured big plays and plenty of momentum swings, San Francisco fought until the end, but ultimately fell short.

Here are six takeaways from the Lions-49ers game