All eyes are on the big dog — not the big Dawg — at the NCAA East Regional women's golf tournament this weekend at the University of Georgia Golf Course. The team to beat is Duke, the two-time defending national champions and the field's No. 1 seed.

The Blue Devils won two tournaments this spring, including the Atlantic Coast Conference title two weeks ago, and finished second twice. Their biggest misstep came in Athens at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in March, where they finished fifth.

"I'm glad we're going back to the University of Georgia Golf Course," Duke coach Dan Brooks said. "You need to respect that course and we gained respect for it when we went down there this season."

No. 8-ranked Georgia is seeded third in the East Regional behind No. 3 Duke and Southeastern Conference champion Florida, ranked No. 4. Georgia beat Duke at the Liz Murphey; it is the Bulldogs' lone victory of the year, but confirmation that they should be counted among the contenders.

"I think we'll do good if we stay positive and stay in the moment," Georgia freshman Krystle Caithness said. "We're learning and I think we're making progress."

The Bulldogs start Caithness, senior Garrett Phillips, junior Mallory Hetzel, sophomore Carolina Andrade and freshman Innapha Tantanavivat. Their scoring averages are tightly grouped, ranging from Caithness's 74.37 to Tantanavivat's 75.95.

Duke is led by junior Amanda Blumenherst, who recently won her second straight Nancy Lopez Award, given annually to the world's top female amateur. Blumenherst averages 70.7 and has four victories this year. She's not finished out of the top five in the nine tournaments.

The top eight teams from each of three regional sites advance to the NCAA Women's Championships May 20-23 in Albuquerque. Other top teams competing at UGA this weekend are No. 10 Auburn, No. 14 Wake Forest, No. 18 Tennessee and No. 21 Virginia.

Georgia State, which is making its first postseason appearance, is also in the field. The Panthers were second in the Colonial Athletic Association and enter as the 14th seed.

"We're excited to get out and see what we can do in this field," said GSU coach Cathy Mant. "We've had a great season and need to have a strong finish to keep it going."

NCAA Women's East Regional

When: Thursday-Saturday

Where: University of Georgia Golf Course, Athens

Field: 21 teams, including Georgia and Georgia State

At stake: The top eight of the field's 21 teams and top three individuals on a non-qualifying team advance to the NCAA Championships May 20-23 in Albuquerque