Barry Odom believes that when he returned to Missouri in 2015, he came back as a better coach.

The Tigers can thank their next opponent for that.

Odom said during his Tuesday press conference that he improved his craft during the three seasons he spent at Memphis, which Missouri hosts at 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. He helped rebuild a struggling Memphis program as Justin Fuente’s defensive coordinator from 2012-14, which ultimately landed him the same job at Missouri.

“It was a bad program when we got there,” Odom told reporters. “I think the first team meeting, we had about 37 guys on scholarship. … There’s not really anything about that process that was easy.”

But those hardships are why Odom thinks he’s a better coach than when he held various assistant positions at Missouri from 2003-2011.

When Odom and Fuente showed up in 2012, Memphis had won only five games in its previous three seasons combined. Memphis went 4-8 and 3-9 before breaking out for 10 wins and a share of the American Athletic Conference championship in 2014.

Odom returned to Missouri the following year and was elevated to head coach when Gary Pinkel retired. Now he finds himself in charge of a Missouri (3-3) team in need of a win against Memphis (4-3).

“It was a great place for our family to live, and got lasting relationships,” Odom said pf Memphis. “Got a whole bunch of people coming to the game, and trying to convince them to wear Mizzou Tigers gear.”