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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Three shots from No. 33 made for a vital contribution to Missouri’s Sunday upset of top-ranked Kansas.

A lot of things went into the victory. As MU coach Dennis Gates predicted two days prior, coming away with advantage in two of turnovers, free throws and rebounds — Mizzou was the better team when it came to the first two — was key. So were guard Tamar Bates’ 29 points and the collective enthusiasm of a sold-out crowd that stormed the court afterward.

But don’t forget about Josh Gray, the 7-footer who’s had a fairly quiet start to his Missouri tenure but showed up at key times and in an on-brand way against the Jayhawks.

“He’s just an impactful dude,” Gates said, “and I love him for believing in us, believing in me and allowing me to put my arms around him, telling him the truth when he’s wrong or motivate him when he needs it.”

Gray played 32 minutes against KU, 10 more than he’d played in any other game this season. He scored seven points, which matched his season high, and grabbed 10 rebounds for the first time in an MU uniform.

He was proud of every part of that stat line, he said, even if it’s not the kind of production that generally merits its own story after an historic result. But Gray’s play mattered.

As the Tigers’ center, Gray spent most of his time in the game matched up with Kansas’ Hunter Dickinson — perhaps the best big man in college basketball and certainly among the highest-regarded players at any position.

Dickinson scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, which is the kind of production that usually hurts an opposing team. But he wasn’t getting points on Gray, who allowed just 10, according to in-game analytics, while securing eight stops.

The eye test suggested Gray actually had a solid defensive game against one of the nation’s best players.

“Just our defensive principles,” he cited as factors, like “making passes difficult, being real physical with those guys.”

And then Gates cut Gray off in the middle of his news conference, asking for a timeout to huddle with his center. Gray returned to action seconds later with a different tone.

“I feel like I did a good job with my assignment,” he said, with the change to first-person perspective evidently being a significant one. “The scout was really good. I listened to the scout.”

But back to the three shots that defined Gray’s game:

Two came at the contest’s climax. Kansas had clawed back from down 24 points to within two. MU forward Mark Mitchell hit a corner 3 to restore a bit of breathing room for the hosts, but that wasn’t keeping the Jayhawks from breathing down the Tigers’ necks.

So when Mizzou took over possession, KU fouled the shooter it most wanted at the free-throw line: Gray, a career 43.5% shooter from the charity stripe.

He strolled to the line for a one-and-one: Make the first shot, get a second. Miss the first, that’s it.

Gray made them both.

His free throws gave Missouri a seven-point cushion, which it turned into a nine-point margin of victory.

Gray’s other key shot was a fun one.

He’s made just one 3-pointer in his career, a splash that came in MU’s rout of Pacific earlier this season. But with just under five minutes remaining in the Border War, Gray — left wholly unguarded on the perimeter as a non-threat to actually shoot from there — did exactly that.

And made it.

The shot was ruled a 3 in the moment, but a quick look showed it was actually a very long 2-pointer. Gray remains 1 for 3 from beyond the arc and his career and a perfect 100% from 3-point range this season. Still, he earned the right to be taking the shot in the first place.

“Josh knows my rule,” Gates said. “You get 10 rebounds, you can shoot a 3. He knows the rule, and trust me, he was counting the rebounds.”

And in an answer that turned into a game of word association, Gates outlined what Gray, a transfer from South Carolina, has brought through his first nine games for the Tigers.

“First-team all-defense,” Gates said. “Unbelievable character. Glue. Infectious personality. Having fun. Big-time 3 that they called it a 2. But what he did was, he’s allowed us, as a program, to pour into him. He’s allowed me as a head coach to love him and believe in him. I think when you have that, you are able to give yourself and give more.”