Last March, BYU enjoyed a spirited celebration after beating New Mexico to close the regular season at 20 wins. After whipping the Lobos 96-83 Wednesday before a crowd of 11,112, the Cougars filed out of the Marriott Center in orderly fashion.

No. 20 doesn't seem to signify as much when expectations have exploded.

"We were just hoping for the best until we fully gained that confidence last year about midway through the season that we were actually a really good team," said sophomore guard Lee Cummard. "This year, it was kind of already established that we needed to be successful. Our goals are a little bit higher."

Anything less than a Mountain West championship - and probably at least one NCAA Tournament win - will be considered a disappointment for this team, which has won seven consecutive games. At 10-2 (20-6 overall), BYU has a one-game conference lead over Air Force with four games remaining.

With road games left against the Falcons and San Diego State, which has regained its swagger during a five-game winning streak, the Cougars can't afford any slips at home. Their 29th consecutive win in the Marriott Center really never was much in doubt.

Figuring his team couldn't play a conventional style and pull off the upset, New Mexico coach Ritchie McKay decided on a fire-drill strategy. Three minutes into the game, he inserted four substitutes.

The constant shuffling continued throughout the game.

"I wanted to see if we could wear them out and destroy their rhythm," McKay said.

Even with the unorthodox pattern, McKay was right on in his assessment that BYU would carve up the Lobos. Displaying the best ball movement they have shown all season, the Cougars had an impressive 24 assists to only seven turnovers.

Five players, led by conference MVP candidate Keena Young with 23 points, scored in double figures. Point guard Austin Ainge played perhaps his best all-around game in college, posting 15 points, six rebounds, five assists and no turnovers in a game-high 34 minutes.

The Cougars shot 55 percent from the floor, marking the seventh time in the last eight games they have made at least half of their field goals. In the second half they made 19 of 30 shots (63 percent).

"We got good balance, especially scoring," said second-year coach Dave Rose. "I thought we did a good job of sharing the ball and attacking the defenses they threw at us."

pjk@sltrib.com

* Dave Rose is the fourth BYU coach to win at least 20 games in each of his first two seasons.

* Keena Young has scored in double figures in 22 of the 26 games this season.

* The Cougars are 19-3 this season when they score at least 70 points.