SPOKANE, Wash. Angel di Maria Jersey . -- Adreian Payne sent Tom Izzo a text. He wants to leave a legacy. Consider it done. The 6-foot-10 senior played the game of his life Thursday, scoring a career-high 41 points to help fourth-seeded Michigan State look every bit like a March Madness favourite in a 93-78 victory over Delaware. "He was playing in another zone, not even in the ozone," Izzo said. "He was in Pluto and beyond." This marked the first 40-point performance in the NCAA tournament since Stephen Curry did it for Davidson in a win over Gonzaga in 2008. Payne set a school tournament scoring record, surpassing the 34 points Greg Kelser scored during Michigan States 1979 title run led by Magic Johnson. Paynes overall line: 10 for 15 from the field, 4 for 5 from 3-point range, and a tournament-record 17 for 17 from the free throw line. He chipped in eight rebounds, too. "Forty-one is 41, and he was a load tonight," Delaware coach Monte Ross said. "He was probably the best big man that I have faced in 21 years of college basketball." Payne thought long and hard about leaving for the NBA after last season. He decided to stick around to see if he could lead Michigan State to another Final Four. Asked what his best night -- at least so far -- in a Spartan uniform means to him, Payne said, "Leaving a legacy." "I talked to Coach about that," he said. "The other day, I sent him a text and were just trying to win games. We are here to win the weekend and thats the main goal." Michigan States next game is Saturday against 12th-seeded Harvard, which beat Cincinnati 61-57 in an earlier East region contest. Though his entire performance was sublime, it was never better than during a 105-second stretch midway through the first half. Payne scored 12 straight points to help the Spartans (27-8) open an 18-point lead over the 13th-seeded Blue Hens (25-10). Those points came three at a time -- a trio of spot-up 3s and one ridiculous, spinning left-hander from the paint while he was being mugged by Carl Baptiste. Payne stepped to the line to make the free throw with his right hand -- the hand he shoots most of his shots with -- and by then, he had pretty much proven his point. "He made the right decision to stay," Izzo said. "Hes a much more cerebral player, hes a much stronger player. He is starting to marry the inside-outside game. And if he does that on a consistent basis, I see him as one of the best 4 men in the whole country." With the game out of reach -- but Izzo less than satisfied with what he called an uneven effort -- Payne played almost to the end and the Spartans fed him. He dunked with 4:26 left to reach his career high and break Kelsers record. Points Nos. 40 and 41 came on free throws; the second one gave him the record for most makes in an NCAA tournament game without a miss. The previous holders are a couple of unforgettable names: Bill Bradley (1963, Princeton) and Fennis Dembo (1987, Wyoming). "When youre scoring like that and your games coming so easy to you, and you make a lot of shots, it feels like youre in a rhythm," Payne said. "It feels like you cant be stopped." For the brief moments Delaware did stop him, others stepped up. Travis Trice scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half to prevent the Colonial Athletic Association champs from turning this into a game. Branden Dawson, the Big Ten tournaments most valuable player, finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists -- modest on this day. It was that run through the Big Ten that turned Michigan State into a trendy pick in brackets across the country. President Barack Obama has the Spartans winning it all, and Las Vegas has them favoured along with Florida and Louisville. Devon Saddler had 21 points and Davon Usher added 20 for Delaware, which made its first NCAA appearance since 1999. Ross looked at it all with a sense of awe. He thought his team played pretty well. He still cant believe Michigan State is a No. 4 seed. "Im only reiterating what the whole country is saying," Ross said. "If the country is saying youre the odds-on favourite to win the national championship, youre not 16th best in the country." Marcelo Jersey . After being eliminated by Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semifinals, Mourinho was asked if hell return to the club next season and simply replied: "Maybe not. Isco Real Madrid Jersey . Fresh from helping the Czech Republic beat Argentina in the Davis Cup semifinals, Berdych beat Yen-hsun Lu of Taiwan 7-6 (7), 6-4 to maintain his record of never losing before the semifinals in Thailand. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Geno Smith is staying put as the New York Jets starting quarterback. His hold on the job, however, is tenuous at best. "Hes our best shot, in my opinion," coach Rex Ryan said. Ryan confirmed Monday that hes sticking with the rookie despite Smiths struggles in the last several games. "I believe in Geno," Ryan said. "I think he has the tools to be a good quarterback in this league." Smith wasnt surprised when he was told Monday morning by quarterbacks coach David Lee that he would start the home game Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. "Every day I come into this building, I fully expect to play," Smith said. "I prepare that way. When I got the news, it wasnt a major reaction." Smith was benched in favour of Matt Simms at halftime of the Jets 23-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins following another brutal performance. The rookie was 4 for 10 for 29 yards with an interception and an 8.3 quarterback rating in two quarters. "If it was a tactic to wake me up or get me going," Smith said, "it definitely worked because right now I definitely feel a sense of urgency." He has one touchdown pass -- against New England on Oct. 20 -- and 11 interceptions in his last seven games. The Jets (5-7) have lost three straight to go from controlling their playoff destiny a few weeks ago to barely hanging on in the post-season mix. Still, Smith will get the start against Oakland over Simms and veteran David Garrard, who hasnt played a regular-season game since 2010. "His perseverance is impressive to me," Ryan said about Smith. "Hell bounce back from this, and Im just waiting for him to have a great game." Simms said he was anxious coming to the facility, not knowing if he would get his first NFL start or remain Smiths backup -- at least for the next game. "Obviously, when you get out there on the field and you get a little taste of the real action, all you want is you want more of it," Simms said. "But nonetheless, Genos the man and Im going to support him and prepare like I have been. "If my numbers called again, then Ill go out there and play as hard I can again." Smith was booed loudly by the MetLife Stadium crowd at times before being replaced by Simms. The son of former Giants star Phil Simms was cheered as he jogged onto the field to start the third quarter, but didnt fare much better. He was 9 for 18 for 779 yards with an interception, and was sacked three times. Angel di Maria Womens Jersey. "I did enough to solidify that Im still the (backup)," Simms said, smiling. "So, at least I didnt play myself out of my job, so thats the key." Garrard spoke to Smith on the sideline after the benching, encouraging him to continue to cheer for the team and keep his spirits up. The veteran also thinks Smith will be able to bounce back. "He has it in him," Garrard said. "I think these are the growing pains of a young quarterback. Being able to play your way out of it is also going to be another good lesson for him too moving forward with his career. He has to find somewhere to dig down." While Smith is getting the bulk of the criticism among the players, the fact is there are several other culprits in the Jets recent spiral. The offensive line has been inconsistent, the defence -- particularly the secondary -- has been uncharacteristically leaky and the spate of injuries to key players on offence has left a dearth of top talent on the field. "Hes only struggling because were not helping him out," left guard Willie Colon said. "Thats the bottom line." After watching the film, Ryan reiterated what he said Sunday of the teams play against the Dolphins, calling it "just a poor performance on our part." The Dolphins dominated during the first two quarters, outgaining the Jets 265 yards to 39, with 16 first downs to New Yorks 2. Miami took control in the second half and finished by outgaining New York 453-177. "Obviously, hes going through some rough times," Ryan said about Smith. "These last three games havent been good for him. Quite honestly, it hasnt been good for a lot of us." NOTES: Ryan said KR-WR Josh Cribbs shoulder injury is "pretty bad. I think its pretty serious." The Jets could be in the market for a kick returner, especially since Ryan indicated that Antonio Cromartie (four returns, 31.5 yard average) wouldnt be an ideal option since hes the teams top cornerback. ... Ryan said S Ed Reed, off to a slow start with the Jets, will continue to start "unless hes injured." ... WR Santonio Holmes only played two snaps after sitting out all week with a hamstring injury. "We thought he was going to play a little more than that," said Ryan, who added that the coaches noticed "that burst wasnt quite there." wholesale nfl jerseyscheap jerseys from china ' ' '
