Make no mistake people the Pac-10 Conference is still one of the best in the country. Last year’s collection of talent conference-wide was off-the-charts, once-in-a-generation kind of good.

Just look at the 2008 NBA Draft for proof. Five of the top 11 players and seven of the top 21 were Pac-10 products.

While it may lack the star power and overall prestige of last year’s edition, ASU coach Herb Sendek has frequently stressed the quality of the Pac-10.

The conference schedule is roughly a third of the way done now and March is just around the corner. Here’s a look at some of the conference’s best players as we see it:

Point guards

1.Darren Collison – UCLA

Following ASU’s 61-58 overtime win at UCLA, Sendek couldn’t contain himself when asked about Collison.

“Collison is good,” Sendek said with a head shake and a smile. “Collison is just so good.”

He’s everything you want in a floor leader. Collison has a very high basketball IQ and isn’t afraid to take the big shot. He can shoot from long-range (44 percent from 3-point range), is deadly from the free-throw line (league-leading 95.2 percent) and is good on the defensive end as well (his 30 steals are good for second best in the Pac-10).

2.Jerome Randle – Cal

Last year, Randle was more known for his mercurial play and tendency to turn the ball over. He must have done something right in the offseason because he looks like a completely different player this year.

He’s the conference’s second leading scorer at 18.7 points per game and can catch fire from behind the arc. Not to mention he is lightning quick.

3.Daniel Hackett – USC

Hackett always does a great job of getting under the other team’s skin but the kid can play. He’s elevated his game this year and turned into one of the conference’s best.

At 6-feet-5-inches and 215 pounds, Hackett almost always holds a significant size advantage over his counterpart.

Hackett leads the league in assists (5.6 per game) and is a very capable scorer. He also showed some defensive skills during last Thursday’s 61-49 win over ASU, when he matched up against star James Harden for most of the night and helped limit him to a career-low four points.

4.Nic Wise – UA

Wise is one of the Pac-10’s quickest players and has really evolved as an assist man this season. The kid can score too.

He averages 13 points per game and sports some pretty healthy percentages both at the free throw line (89.1) and behind the arc (39.7).

5.Derek Glasser – ASU

Glasser is the prime facilitator of Sendek’s offense but can knock down the open shot if you let him.

A great ball handler, Glasser rarely turns the ball over and is always among the conference leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. This season he sports a 2.3 figure in that category, good for second in the Pac-10.

Swingmen

1.James Harden – ASU

What more do you need to know?

“Big Game” has done it all for ASU since joining the team last season. Sure, USC made him look bad on Thursday night, but Harden still remains one of the nation’s elite talents.

He leads the league in scoring (22.1 points per game) and steals (34) and his playmaking ability has become an invaluable part of Sendek’s offense.

2.Patrick Christopher – Cal

At 6-feet-5-inches, 215 pounds and arms akin to those of the statue of David, Christopher just looks like an NBA player in a college uniform.

He’s athletic, a proficient shooter and can jump with the best of them.

Together with Randle and forward Theo Robertson, Christopher has led the way in making Cal one of the deadliest teams to defend behind the arc.

3.Chase Budinger – UA

Last April, Budinger declared for the NBA draft but later changed his mind to come back for his junior season.

He is second his second on his team in scoring (17.2 ppg) and has solid shooting percentages throughout, and has proven to be a valuable asset with his rebounding and playmaking ability as well.

4.Lawrence Hill – Stanford

One of the more unknown commodities in the Pac-10, Hill was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week on Monday.

He dropped a career-high 25 points on Saturday against archrival Cal and is arguably his team’s best player.

His game may not be the prettiest you’ve seen, but Hill gets the job done.

5.Dwight Lewis – USC

Recently, USC’s leading scorer has been either hit-or-miss.

After a couple of atrocious outings against Oregon State and UCLA a couple of weeks ago, Lewis was relegated to the bench for USC’s tilt against ASU last Thursday.

He came off the bench and provided an instant spark for the Trojans, as he knocked down five 3-pointers en route to scoring 18 points.

Big men

1.Jordan Hill – UA

The big boy from Tucson is simply a beast.

He leads the Pac-10 in rebounding (11.4 per game), ranks third in scoring (17.8 ppg) and averages over two blocks per game.

Hill is very athletic for his size (6-feet-10-inches and 235 pounds) and has been mentioned as a possible lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, should he declare.

2.Taj Gibson – USC

Gibson, like Hill, is a very athletic big man who can both score (14.9) and rebound (10.1 per game). However, his contributions on the defensive end may be what make him so valuable to USC.

He leads the league in blocks (three per game) and registered three blocks and three steals in USC’s 61-49 victory over ASU last Thursday.

3.Jeff Pendergraph – ASU

Pendergraph mulled over the possibility of the NBA last season, but elected to come back as the Sun Devils’ lone senior.

He leads the conference in field goal percentage, with his staggering figure of 69 percent. In the most recent release of NCAA statistics, Pendergraph ranks third nationally in the category.

He’s a big man who can play with his back to the basket, but is also arguably the conference’s best mid-range shooter for a big man.

4.Jon Brockman – Washington

At 6-feet-7-inches, Brockman doesn’t have the prototypical height for a big man, but it doesn’t stop him from being a beast on the boards.

He averages a double-double (15.8 points and 10.7 rebounds per game) and has registered nine so far this year.

5.Aron Baynes

He may not be the most athletic or flashiest player in the conference, but the big fella from up north is an effective player.

Baynes averages 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, while ranking second in the Pac-10 in field goal percentage (61).

Reach the reporter at alex.espinoza@asu.edu.