SYRACUSE (AP) -- Jim Boeheim didn't spend much time talking about his latest milestone at Syracuse. He had more pressing matters.

Moments after the Orange opened their season with a 75-43 win over Albany on Monday night, he glanced at the final stat sheet and spied a number that quickly made him forget he had just registered the 800th victory of his Hall of Fame career - 21 turnovers.

"For the first game of the year, the one key thing was to be active on defense, and I thought we did that," said Boeheim, the eighth Division I coach in NCAA history to reach 800 victories. "We got the ball inside and once we got the lead, we just made too many turnovers. Some were high-risk plays on the fast breaks that maybe could have been successful, but we were better the second half because we only had seven."

The upside was the Orange forced Albany into 32 turnovers, had 21 steals, and notched 21 assists on 29 baskets. And the victory came a week after an embarrassing exhibition loss at home to crosstown foe Le Moyne, a Division II team.

"Our energy was great," said Wes Johnson, who had 12 points, a team-high eight rebounds, four assists to go with two turnovers, and six steals in his Syracuse debut after transferring from Iowa State. "I think this was one of the best weeks of practice we've had."

Syracuse also had five players in double figures, three with 12 points and none with more than center Arinze Onuaku's 14.

"We obviously made some bad plays offensively in the first half, but this is an encouraging game from the aspect that everybody had an opportunity," Boeheim said. "We didn't get much offensively out of Andy (Rautins), but we still were able to score despite the turnovers."

The Orange host Robert Morris on Wednesday night in a second-round game of the 2K Sports Classic. The teams last met in March 2008 in the first round of the NIT and Syracuse survived 16 3-pointers by the Colonials in an 87-81 victory.

"Robert Morris is a very good team, and they've been in the NCAA tournament," Boeheim said. "It is going to be a much more difficult game on Wednesday. We just have to get prepared, have a good day (Tuesday), and come back. If you have to get a win, this is a good way to start the season."

Rautins, the Orange's top outside threat, did not score against Albany, but was an offensive catalyst with five rebounds and five assists. He missed all six shots he took - four from beyond the arc - before departing early in the second half after landing awkwardly on the court and rolling his left ankle. He said it was pretty sore afterward and he is listed as day to day.

Syracuse built a 28-point lead midway through the second half against the Great Danes and finished with a 52-10 edge in points in the paint, 31 points off turnovers, and 16 points off the fast break.

Boeheim said he would be surprised if the team ran a lot as long as its two big men - Onuaku and Rick Jackson, both 6-foot-9 - remained on the floor.

"When we go with our smaller team, I think we can get out a little bit better," Boeheim said. "But with the two big guys out there, I don't think we'll run a lot. We run off turnovers. We don't run too well off misses."

The game tips off at 7:00 PM at the Carrier Dome. It will be broadcast on ESPNU.

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