As we inch closer and closer to the start of the NCAA basketball season, the AP and USA Today preseason rankings continue to shift ever so slightly as we head to the opening tip of the 2011-12 season, though the Arizona Wildcats are representing the West and holding strong.  

North Carolina and Kentucky are the consensus No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in both the AP and USA Today polls, with the Tar Heels getting a staggering amount of first place votes in both. In fact, the top seven schools mirror each other in both of the polls, with Ohio State, Connecticut, Syracuse, Duke, and Vanderbilt rounding out the top seven. 

The Arizona Wildcats remain the top-seeded school from the West, sitting strong at No. 16 in both polls. The UCLA Bruins sit next at No. 17 in the AP and 20th in the USA Today, followed by Gonzaga (No. 23) and the Cal Golden Bears (No. 24). These four are the only Western schools in the preseason top 25. 

For more on Arizona Wildcat basketball, head over to Arizona Desert Swarm to get in on the action.