Athens — Andy Landers' message never changes this time of year no matter the opponent, the seeding, or the location of the Lady Bulldogs' first round NCAA tournament game.

"It isn't about a bracket," Landers said. "It is a one-team tournament. And that is where your focus is. You don't have to beat everybody in the bracket to win the national championship. The national champion is only going to beat six teams. That has got to be the message because that is what is real at this point."

The other thing that is real for Georgia is the possibility of going home quickly. The Bulldogs are a No. 8 seed and will play No. 9 Iowa in Norfolk, Va. on Sunday. Lurking is No. 1 North Carolina if Georgia makes it to the second round.

"We have got to play better than we did in our best games as we move through this thing," Landers said. "But we are capable of playing better."

Landers pointed to narrow losses to Tennessee and LSU as an indication his team has the ability to upset the top teams in the nation. But Georgia must first defeat Iowa (21-10).

The Hawkeyes finished the regular season second in what was a less-than-stellar Big Ten. They, like Georgia, struggled down the stretch, going 5-5 in their last 10. Georgia went 9-9 in its last 18.

But the Lady Bulldogs are not thinking about how they finished. Instead, it is all about how they can get things started as Tasha Humphrey embarks on her final NCAA tournament.

"Being at the University of Georgia for the four years and never winning that national championship is a thorn in my side," Humphrey, a senior, said. "Our team knows the severity of the task and we are excited about it. It is going to be a difficult road."

The road that led Georgia to an eight seed was paved with plenty of potholes. There were two losses to Kentucky, the latter of which was in the SEC tournament quarterfinals, and no signature wins. That is why the players and coach did not grumble about their seeding.

"We might be a better basketball team on some nights but we are probably an eight seed," Landers said.

It is Georgia's lowest seed since it was a No. 10 in 2002. Georgia lost in the first round that year to No. 7 seed Old Dominion.

After that first round bounce, the Lady Bulldogs have been on a streak of five consecutive Sweet 16s. Speaking of streaks, this is the 14th consecutive time that Georgia has been involved in the tourney and the 25th time in 27 years.