Syracuse G Michael Carter-Williams is fouled by San Diego State G Chase Tapley in the second half of Sunday's Battle on the Midway. The Orange defeated the Aztecs 62-49 in their 2012-2013 season opener. (AP)

Three Big East teams were scheduled to open the season on aircraft carriers Friday night to commemorate Veterans Day. Inclement weather canceled two of the three and postponed the Battle of the Midway between Syracuse and San Diego State until Sunday afternoon.

The wait was worth it for the Orange, as a team that lost a host of upperclassmen to the NBA opened its season with a 62-49 victory over the Aztecs. 

Besieged by strong winds aboard the USS Midway in San Diego Harbor and the Orange vaunted 2-3 zone, San Diego State struggled from the outside and shot just 24 percent in the opening 20 minutes. As the Aztecs settled for shots around the perimeter, the Orange converted on short attempts both in transition and in half-court situations. Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Big East) maintained a comfortable 33-19 lead at halftime and kept the margin in double digits the entire second half.

The reliance on their interior scoring could benefit the Orange beyond the opener.

“The toughness of this game will be good for us in the long run,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said. “We'll have those games where we can't get good shots.”

When the game turned: Facing the glaring sun and arguably the side with more wind in the first half, the Aztecs fell behind 17-4 to open the game. San Diego State (0-1, 0-0 Mountain West) didn’t establish a flow within its offense until late in the first half. The slow start proved to be too difficult for the Aztecs to overcome.

Highlight moments: Syracuse F Rakeem Christmas emphatically put home an alley-oop from F C.J. Fair at the 6:55 mark of the first half to give the Orange a 23-10 lead. Fair added a dunk of his own on an assist by Michael Carter-Williams to increase the Syracuse margin to 43-29 at the 12:42 mark of the second half. Less than a minute later, Syracuse went ahead 45-31 on a pretty reverse layup by G Brandon Triche. A block by Syracuse F Baye Keita at the 7:08 mark ended a brief surge by the Aztecs. The Orange responded with a 6-0 run to take a 54-39 lead with 4:35 left. Carter-Williams virtually sealed the win with a coast-to-coast drive with 2:19 remaining to give Syracuse a commanding 58-43 lead.

Top-shelf performances:

• Fair -- 17 points on 7 of 15 shooting, 10 rebounds.

• Carter-Williams -- 17 points, 5 steals, 4 assists.

• Triche -- 15 points, 4 assists, 3 steals.

• Aztecs G Jamaal Franklin -- Team-high 11 points, 8 rebounds.

What they said:

• Boeheim on the conditions: “This is probably the only day of the year when it’s warmer in Syracuse than it is in San Diego.”

• Boeheim on handling the intense wind: “It's not that easy to play this game outdoors. I think that's why we play them indoors. You have to get to the basket.” The Orange finished with 44 points in the paint.

• Triche on his team’s stifling 2-3 zone: “Playing zone was tough [for them]. It was one of the advantages of playing outside.”

• Fair on the unique atmosphere: “It was a little breezy, but, for the most part, it was warm. I don’t normally sweat, but I was sweating. It was an honor to play in front of the veterans.”

Numbers you should know: In the windy conditions, Syracuse held the Aztecs to 1 of 18 shooting from 3-point range. The Orange also just hit one 3-pointer, but attempted only four shots from beyond the arc. Last season, Syracuse held opponents to four 3-pointers or fewer six times. In a March win over Louisville, the Orange held the Cardinals to 2 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Orange also recorded 10 blocks, five less than their season-high in 2011-2012 (15 against Seton Hall).

Up next:

• Syracuse: vs. Wagner (0-0 overall, 0-0 NEC), Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

• San Diego State: vs. San Diego Christian (0-3 overall), Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET (Fox Sports San Diego)

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Big East, follow bloggers Evan Hilbert and Matt Rybaltowski @CBSBigEast.