Preview · Fall 2026 · Week 5
The Sunday is in. Week 5 recap.
Week 5: Last call at Hartwick
Sunday, October 4, 2026 · Hartwick College · Lambros Arena · 9 games · Courts A and B
Four Sundays at Hartwick ran the old way: one floor, one game, a line out the door from 11 in the morning until the nightcap. Week 5 is the last regular-season card of Fall 2026, and it is the first Hartwick Sunday that runs more than one court at a time.
That is what going sideways means. Two courts. Court A and Court B tip together at 4:00. They tip together again at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00. Then the building folds back onto one floor for the 8:00 nightcap. You can watch Pink and Hitchcock decide the 2-seed on A while Orange and Job Corps decide the 8-seed on B.
Eight of thirteen clubs go through. First round is October 11 at the Oneonta Armory — 4 vs 5 at 4:00, 1 vs 8 at 5:00, 2 vs 7 at 6:00, 3 vs 6 at 7:00. Semifinals and the championship stay at Hartwick on October 18. One Sunday left to sort the field.
Who is in, who is hunting, who needs chaos
The 1-seed is a formality. Team Blendos 7–0, plus-224, 112 points a night. They play 0–5 Yellow at 7:00 on Court A. An 8–0 finish is the expected sheet. A loss would still leave them 7–1 and almost certainly first. They have not played Pink. They do not need to.
The 2-seed is not a formality. Pink is 6–1 with the best differential in the league (+305) and the stingiest defense. They play Hitchcock at 4:00 on Court A. A win makes them 7–1 and locks the 2-seed. A loss makes them 6–2. That only bites if Cam’s wins both remaining games and finishes 6–1. Cam’s already owns the only head-to-head — 59–58 in Week 2. Pink controls the 2-seed with a win. A Pink loss plus a Cam’s sweep flips the 2-seed to maroon.
Cam’s is the club with the most Sunday in front of them. 4–1, only five games played, two left (Hitchcock at 5:00, Jade at 6:00). Ceiling 6–1 and a real argument for the 2-seed. Floor 4–3 and still very likely in the field. Drese Bradford did not dress in the 86–39 over Sand. If he is back, the 5:00 against Hitchcock is the pick’em of the week.
McCoy is 4–2 and playing for seed, not survival. The 4–0 start died on Sunday — 65–39 to Hitchcock, 54–46 to Job Corps. One game left, Black, 8:00. A win is 5–2 and a 3-seed conversation. A loss is 4–3 and a 4/5/6 pileup. McCoy already owns Orange (49–47) and Jade (60–55). Hitchcock already owns McCoy (65–39).
Navy should take care of 7:00. 3–3, Grey Ops at 7:00 on Court B. A Navy win is 4–3 and almost certainly the 7-seed. Navy already owns Black by forfeit and Orange 77–34. Trevor Huntsman just dropped 36 and 11 assists in a 66-point loss. Vinny Moscatello (P-1579) debuted in that game. That version of Navy is a playoff problem.
The 8-hole is the actual game of the week. Orange sits there right now at 2–3. Jade and Job Corps are 2–4. Hitchcock and Black can fall into the mud if they go 0–2. Navy can fall into it if Grey Ops finds a win. Orange plays Job Corps at 4:00 and Sand at 5:00 — both on Court B. Two wins and Orange is 4–3 and in. One win and Orange is 3–4 and live. Two losses and Orange is 2–5 and done. Jade’s only game is Cam’s at 6:00. Job Corps’ only game is Orange at 4:00, and they have already beaten Hitchcock by two and McCoy by eight. Sand is 1–4 with two games. Ceiling 3–4. They can spoil somebody else’s Sunday even if they cannot save their own. Yellow and Grey Ops need a miracle and a second miracle. They play Team Blendos and Navy.
The sideways card
House projections on the game pages are unofficial career-rate tips. They are a temperature, not a verdict. The stakes below are the verdict.
4:00 PM · Court A
The 2-seed game
PinkvsHitchcock Contracting (Lime)
Pink is 6–1 and has scored 128, 120, 130, and 115 on this floor. Jordan Gutierrez just went 37 and 16. Jo Annan 29 and 11. Four double-doubles in the nightcap. Hitchcock just ended McCoy’s unbeaten start without Jared Conklin on the sheet — Elias Perez 19, Scott Johnson 10-14-6, Jesse James 14.
Hitchcock’s path to a 5–2 ceiling runs through this game and the 5:00 against Cam’s. That is the brutal doubleheader of the week. An 0–2 Sunday drops them to 3–4 and into the 8-seed argument they do not want.
Pink’s path is simpler. Win, and the 2-seed is theirs. Lose, and they spend the next three hours watching Court A to see if Cam’s does the thing.
House tip: Pink 86, Hitchcock 52 (Pink ~62%). Treat it as a temperature. Hitchcock just held McCoy to 39.
Watch. Gutierrez against the Lime glass. Johnson and Naji Lawrence against Pink’s 74-rebound night. Whether Conklin dresses. Whether Pink’s only loss stays the only loss.
4:00 PM · Court B
The 8-seed game that looks like one
OrangevsOneonta Job Corps Academy (Military Green)
Orange is 2–3 and currently sitting in the last playoff chair. Job Corps is 2–4 and has already beaten two clubs that are in the 4–6 range. If you only watched Job Corps lose to Pink by one and lose to Jade by 30, you missed the part where they took Hitchcock on opening Sunday and took McCoy on Sunday afternoon.
Orange just dropped 71 on Grey Ops. Alex Little 25-12-6. Danny Lapin 18. That version of Orange can hold the chair. The other version lost to McCoy by two, Hitchcock by 29, and Navy by 43.
Winner takes a 3–4 or 3–3 step toward the field. Loser starts digging.
House tip: Orange 72–75, Job Corps 55–58 (Orange ~55–58%). The spread is not the story. The chair is.
Watch. Little and Lapin against Bunton, Everson, and Sutton. Quincy Mayfield’s defensive sheet from Sunday. Whether Orange can score 70 on somebody who fights back.
5:00 PM · Court A
The pick’em
Hitchcock Contracting (Lime)vsCam's Printing Services (Maroon)
The 3-seed game. The 2-seed game, if Pink already lost at 4:00.
Hitchcock will have just played Pink. Cam’s will be opening their doubleheader. House tip on the game page is Cam’s 69, Hitchcock 65 — a coin flip. That is the right temperature. Cam’s is 4–1 with Evan Lane pulling 17 boards a night. Hitchcock is 3–2 with the better differential of the two 3–2 clubs and a 65–39 over McCoy still warm.
If Cam’s wins this and wins the 6:00 against Jade, they finish 6–1. If Pink already lost, that 6–1 is the 2-seed because of the 59–58 in Week 2. If Pink already won, Cam’s 6–1 is the 3-seed and a first-round date with the 6.
If Hitchcock wins this after beating Pink, Hitchcock is 5–2 and in the 3-seed conversation. If Hitchcock loses both, they are 3–4 and sweating every Court B result.
Watch. Lane vs the Lime front line. Whether Bradford dresses for Cam’s. Whether Hitchcock has anything left 60 minutes after Pink. George Sheley’s four-steal night traveling one week.
5:00 PM · Court B
Orange’s second hour
OrangevsPoolbrook Contracting (Sand)
If Orange already beat Job Corps, this is the 4–3 clincher. If Orange already lost, this is the 3–4 survival sheet. Sand got their first win of the fall last Sunday — Ritter 15-15-5, Chase 11-10-6, 45–41 over Grey Ops — and then absorbed an 86–39 from Cam’s two hours later. They are 1–4. They can spoil.
House tip: Orange 75, Sand 55 (Orange ~58%).
Watch. Whether Orange’s legs are still there. Whether Ritter prints another double-double. Tony Hendrich playing for both Poolbrook clubs all fall and still on the floor.
6:00 PM · Court A
Jade’s last shot
JadevsCam's Printing Services (Maroon)
Cam’s second game in an hour. Jade is 2–4 with 481 points scored — only Team Blendos and Pink have more, and both of those clubs have played an extra game. They put 100 on Team Blendos in a loss. They put 86 on Yellow and 72 on Job Corps in wins. Dylan Jaklitsch is at 11.0 assists a night. Jonathan Codrington just pulled 24 rebounds. Kevin Kurkowski and Connor Van der Sommen did not dress last Sunday. If either one is back, the 81–56 house tip toward Jade stops looking crazy.
Cam’s can afford a loss here and still be 5–2. Jade cannot afford a loss at all. A Jade loss is 2–5 and almost certainly winter. A Jade win is 3–4 and a night of watching the other courts.
Watch. Jaklitsch’s assist sheet against Lane’s glass. Whether Van der Sommen’s 43-point Week 3 line shows up in a game Jade has to have. Whether Cam’s plays this like a 4–1 club or like a club that already got what it needed at 5:00.
6:00 PM · Court B
Black’s first shot since the forfeit
Poolbrook Contracting (Sand)vsBlend Or Get Blended (Black)
Black is 3–2. The forfeit is on the book. The 125–107 loss to Team Blendos is on the book. The three wins — Jade, Yellow, Job Corps — are also on the book. Kaden Gonzalez is at 25.5 a night. Deion Mitchell-Murray is at 26.0 in three games and has been missing. If both are on the floor, Sand’s 1–4 is a problem Sand may not be able to solve.
A Black win here is 4–2 walking into the 8:00 against McCoy. A Black loss here is 3–3 walking into a must-win nightcap.
House tip: Black 89, Sand 46 (Sand ~34%). The number is the number. The stake is Black’s seed.
Watch. Whether Black fields a full side after last week’s 5:00. Gonzalez and Mannix. Ritter trying to make it two wins in two Sundays.
7:00 PM · Court A
The coronation, unless it isn’t
YellowvsTeam Blendos (Ash Grey)
Team Blendos is 7–0. They have scored 105, 116, 95, 77, 121, 125, and 145. They printed two triple-doubles in the same game last Sunday. Nate Cohen has 266 points. Cam Hayes, captain, just went 20-10-10 on 6-of-8 from three. Hobson Herlihy 21-13-13. Brady Smith 31 and 15. Sam Booth 22 and 13.
Yellow is 0–5. Shea Barber and Ray Williams have had nights. Tori Gue put up 7-8-8-4 last Sunday. The 145 is not the expected score so much as the expected direction.
An 8–0 Team Blendos is the 1-seed. A 7–1 Team Blendos is still the 1-seed. The 7:00 is for the sheet, for Cohen’s scoring lead, and for everybody who has been waiting all fall to see if this club can be got.
House tip: Team Blendos 93, Yellow 45 (Yellow ~33%).
Watch. Whether Cohen adds to 266. Whether the two-triple-double club does it again. Whether Yellow can keep a half within shouting distance the way they did against Jade for 20 minutes in Week 3.
7:00 PM · Court B
Navy’s playoff on-ramp
NavyvsPoolbrook Operations (Grey)
3–3 against 0–6. Two Poolbrook clubs, same house. Grey Ops is the development side. Huntsman and Harris just scored 66 combined in a loss. A Navy win is 4–3 and in. A Navy loss is 3–4 and a long night of math.
Do not overthink this one. If Grey Ops keeps the ball, the entire 7/8 picture moves.
Watch. Huntsman’s 29.0 a night in four games. Whether Navy dresses a full side. Grey Ops learning the Sunday, on the same floor as a playoff club.
8:00 PM · Court A
The nightcap. The seed-shifter.
M McCoy Construction (Green)vsBlend Or Get Blended (Black)
Two courts all afternoon, then the building comes back to one floor. McCoy is 4–2 with one game left. Black is 3–2 with this as their second game of the night. The shape of the 8:00 depends entirely on 6:00 Court B.
If Black already beat Sand, this is 4–2 vs 4–2. Winner 5–2, loser 4–3. That is a 3-seed / 4-seed / 5-seed game. If Black already lost to Sand, this is 4–2 vs 3–3. McCoy can lock 5–2. Black is playing to get to 4–3 and stay out of the mud.
House tip: Black 77, McCoy 61 (Black ~56%). McCoy just shot 17-of-62 and 17-of-56 on the same afternoon. Zyeir Lawrence still went 20 and 12 in the second loss. Ryan Ashline is two weeks removed from a 17-steal quadruple-double and one week removed from 16-on-23 and 2-on-10 in the same Sunday. Which McCoy shows up is the whole game.
Black has not had a shot since the Team Blendos 125–107. The forfeit does not tell you anything about their 8:00. Gonzalez, Mannix, and whether Mitchell-Murray dresses — that does.
Watch. Zyeir vs Gonzalez. Ashline’s steal column. Whether this is a 5–2 club or two 4–3 clubs walking into the Armory.
Sunday’s games