The Indiana Pacers have hired Rick Carlisle as the team’s next head coach. Carlisle spent the last 13 seasons as the Dallas Mavericks coach before stepping down last week. The 61-year-old will enter his second stint as the Pacers coach, after leading the Blue and Gold from 2003 to 2007. The deal is worth four years and 29 million dollars, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Carlisle told MacMahon he likes the Pacers roster, calling it a team of skilled, unselfish guys that play hard. He replaces Nate Bjorkgren, who was fired after one season.
Four Chicago Cubs pitchers combined for a no-hitter and a 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday night. Zach Davies threw six innings and left after 94 pitches. Ryan Tepera worked around a walk in the seventh and Andrew Chafin did the same in the eighth. Closer Craig Kimbrel walked the leadoff man in four pitches to start the bottom of the ninth before striking out the next three batters. There have been seven no-hitters in the major leagues so far this season, one off the MLB record of eight, set in 1884. It was the 17th in team history and first combined effort.
The Indiana Fever’s losing streak reached 11 games Thursday night with an 89-64 loss to the Dallas Wings. The Fever are now 1-15 on the season. Indiana was led by Kelsey Mitchell’s 24 points. The Fever shot just 35 percent from the field, including a dismal 25.6 percent in the first half.
Purdue big man Trevion Williams is coming back for a fourth season. The All-Big Ten center has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft and will return to West Lafayette. The 6-foot-10 Chicago native was a first-team All-Big Ten selection after averaging 15.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game last season. Williams posted on Twitter that the Boilermakers have a special group and that he can’t wait to help take Purdue to the next level.
Nick Castellanos crushed a two-run home run, and the Cincinnati Reds kicked off an 11-game homestead with a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves Thursday night. Yordan Alvarez drove in five runs and the Astros won their 11th straight with a 12-3 victory over the Tigers in Detroit. Cleveland scored three runs in the eighth to beat Minnesota 4-1. The Pirates hit three home runs and defeated the Cardinals 8-2.
The matchups for this season’s college basketball Gavitt Games were announced Thursday, and it features a rematch from the 2010 Final Four. Michigan State will play Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse Wednesday, November 17th. That same night, Indiana will host St. John’s at Assembly Hall. The Bulldogs beat Tom Izzo’s Spartans 52-50 in the national semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2010, and the programs have not faced each other since. The annual series between the Big East and Big Ten honors Dave Gavitt, who served as the first commissioner of the Big East.
