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Irate faculty and students at St. Louis University plan to take their issues with their school's president to the streets of the mid-town campus. 

 A protest march is planned this afternoon by members of the SLU community against university president Father Lawrence Biondi.

The move comes after Biondi and another high ranking university official canceled an appearance before the faculty senate. The group had hoped to question Biondi about the school's future. 

SLU officials issued a statement Monday saying the two did not appear because they were focused on finding a Months ago the group voted no confidence in Biondi. Some have called for him to step down.

The march starts at 1pm this afternoon at the Frost Campus Clock Tower.

It will proceed to Father Biondi`s residence at Cartier Hall, then continue down the main university thoroughfare to Vandeventer.

It will then go north to Lindell, east to Grand and then south DuBourg Hall.

   There's been more turmoil this week between Saint Louis University's president and faculty.  

   The SLU Arts and Sciences Faculty Council voted Thursday to censure Father Lawrence Biondi.  The move comes a day after the president had two faculty members removed from a meeting with the student government, even though the SGA's rules call for only open meetings.  

   The university defended the ejections in a statement yesterday, saying the meeting was planned as "a dialogue between the president and student government representatives only."  

   More agitation is likely on Tuesday when Father Biondi is scheduled to speak before the Faculty Senate.  

   Both the Faculty and Student Senates have already issued no-confidence votes on Biondi’s leadership. 

Jim Crews served as the interim coach for the SLU Billikens men's basketball team.

Crews led the team to their first A-10 title in decades and a number 4 seed in the NCAA tournament.

The deal is reportedly long-term, but specifics have not been released.

ATLANTA (AP) - Jim Larranaga, who led Miami to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles and a No. 2 ranking, has been selected The Associated Press' coach of the year.

 

Larranaga received 29 votes Thursday from the same 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Jim Crews of Saint Louis got 19 votes and Mark Few of Gonzaga had 11. The voting ended on Selection Sunday.

 

The 63-year-old, two-time-hip-replacement patient had a 29-7 record in his second season with the Hurricanes and they were made a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.

 

He is the first Miami coach to win the award and is the first Atlantic Coast Conference coach to get it since Roy Williams of North Carolina in 2006.

 

The New York native led George Mason to the Final Four in 2006.

The Missouri Tigers roller coaster ride of a season is over. It came to a crashing halt Thursday night in Lexington, Kentucky in the opening of the NCAA Tournament. Mizzou fell to Colorado State 84-to-72 . The 9th seeded Tigers season has ended with a record of 23-and-11. It was the third straight year that Missouri has lost it’s opening game of the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, The Saint Louis University Billikens easily handled their first round matchup against New Mexico State Thursday afternoon, winning 64-to-44. They move on to play Oregon on March 23rd.

After winning the A-10 tournament 62-56 over VCU Sunday, the Saint Louis University Billikens are the #4 seed in the Midwest for the NCAA tournament. They'll take on #13 New Mexico State on Thursday.

The Missouri Tigers also got a ticket to the big dance. Mizzou is the ninth seed in the Midwest. They'll face the No. 8 seed Colorado State on Thursday.

If Mizzou and SLU make it through the first two rounds of the tournament, they would face each other in the Elite 8.

After an up and down season, the Fighting Illini made it into the tournament with a No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 seed Colorado in the Eastern Region on Friday.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — No matter how flawless a win appears, coaches always seem to have something to quibble about. Not so much this time.

"It's never perfect, but that was fun to watch," interim Coach Jim Crews said after No. 16 Saint Louis trounced La Salle in the second half and clinched a share of the Atlantic 10 title with a 78-54 victory Saturday. "Really, they kept getting better and better, and that's unusual. That's very unusual."

Dwayne Evans had 16 points and 17 rebounds for Saint Louis, which led by just two points at halftime and then made 17 of 20 shots. Kwamain Mitchell had 19 points and six assists on senior day to help the Billikens (24-6, 13-3) win their first conference title since 1970-71 in the Missouri Valley and clinch the top seed in the A-10 Tournament next week in Brooklyn, N.Y.

"Everyone made plays," Mitchell said. "We kept pushing it and pushing it, and we came up with some great shots."

Rob Loe matched his career best with 20 points, hitting all seven shots. The Billikens shot 58 percent overall, one game after shooting a season-worst 30 percent in an overtime loss at Xavier.

"I couldn't be more pleased or proud or tickled for these guys to win a championship," Crews said. "It's hard to win a game, much less a championship."

Saint Louis has won 12 of its last 13 under Crews, who made it a smooth transition after taking over for the late Rick Majerus with no assurances past the end of the season. The Billikens can take the title outright if VCU loses at Temple today.

Seniors Cory Remeken, Cody Ellis and Mitchell were among the first to snip the nets.

"I'm sure he's proud right now," Ellis, an Australian import whose parents made the trip for the last two games, said in reference to Majerus. "He's watching this from somewhere. "

Tyrone Garland had 15 points off the bench for La Salle (21-8, 11-5). The Explorers entered the day in second place after winning seven of eight and had been 2-0 in the Chaifetz Arena before absorbing a 24-point loss that was the school's worst of the season.

"That was about as bad a beating as you could take in the second half," La Salle Coach John Giannini said. "I'm really disappointed with the way we played. They took it to us. They won a lot of individual battles — maybe all of them in the second half."

Ramon Galloway, who leads the Explorers with a 17.8-point average, was just 3 for 12 and had eight points.

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The swatch of blue hair and Batman stud earrings call attention to Saint Louis sixth man and free spirit Cody Ellis, the Australian import who's also the team's top 3-point threat.

A return to form in the regular-season finale Saturday for Ellis greatly increases the odds for a school that's one win away from its first conference title in more than 40 years.

Ellis was 0 for 15 in an overtime loss Wednesday at Xavier, 11 of the misses from 3-point range. And with his parents right behind the bench after making the arduous, 40-hour globe-hopping trip to see the 6-foot-8 senior off in style, too.

"I'm just going to try to get it out of my head," Ellis said. "Probably next game, the law of averages says I should knock a couple down, eh?"

Ellis has made three or more 3-pointers nine times this season, including six at Fordham to tie his career best. He leads the team with 52 3-pointers and reasoned, "I've just got to stay confident."

Interim coach Jim Crews' advice at Xavier was simple: Fire away.

"I told him probably three times in the game to keep shooting," Crews said. "You're not going to pinch-hit for Pujols or Mantle or Musial or someone who's good, are you? If he's open, I want him shooting it."

Crews has kept the program built by the late Rick Majerus humming with the 16th-ranked Billikens (23-6, 12-3 Atlantic 10) tied for first place in the conference heading into the finale against La Salle (21-7, 11-4), which also has a title shot.

Saint Louis last earned at least a share of a conference regular season title in 1970-71, in the Missouri Valley. The last outright title was in 1956-57.

To accomplish that, the Billikens need a win coupled with a VCU loss against Temple.

Crews won four conference championships at Indiana as a player, including the Hoosiers' unbeaten season in 1976, but coaching has been a reality check. In 24 years at Evansville and Army, he produced four NCAA tournament teams.

"I'd say the majority of players go through college without a championship," Crews said. "This league has 16 teams and that body of work, you've got to earn it."

The opponent is no pushover. La Salle, which has won seven of eight, needs a win on Saturday and a VCU loss against Temple to take the championship.

La Salle has beaten two Top 25 teams and is 2-0 at Saint Louis' Chaifetz Center.

"It's a big game for La Salle, it's a big game for us," Crews said. "It would really be neat and cool for these kids, all the things they've been through, to win a championship."

That Saint Louis is NCAA tournament-bound for the second straight season after ending a 12-year drought last year is a given.

"When I first got here we were on the bottom of the league," senior reserve forward Cory Remekun said. "Now we're fighting for a championship. It's crazy to see how much we've improved."

The Xavier loss ended an 11-game winning streak for Saint Louis, which has had a season of high notes with one of the stingiest defenses in the country and a balanced attack with six players averaging seven or more points.

"Some of the guys I've played with have gone through a lot," said senior guard Kwamain Mitchell, who was suspended for a semester in 2010 and returned as a calming presence on the court. "I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it and I'm going to leave everything on the court."

The three seniors plus Femi John, who had a career-ending knee injury a few seasons ago, will be honored after the game.

"It is emotional, should be emotional," Crews said. "Personally, I've always had a hard time with senior day. It's hard on the coaches, too."

CINCINNATI (AP) - Travis Taylor had 19 points and a career-high 19 rebounds on Wednesday night, and Xavier never trailed in the overtime, beating No. 16 Saint Louis 77-66, ending the Billikens' 11-game winning streak and leaving the Atlantic 10 title up for grabs.

Xavier (17-12, 9-6 A-10) ended a long winning streak for the second time in eight days. The Musketeers snapped Memphis' 18-game streak at the Cintas Center last week.

The Billikens (23-6, 12-3) haven't won a share of a conference title since 1970-71 in the Missouri Valley. Their last outright title came in 1956-57. They could have clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament with a win on Wednesday.

Instead, they fell into a first-place tie with No. 21 VCU, which beat Richmond on Wednesday. Saint Louis beat VCU during its 11-game winning streak for the head-to-head advantage.

Saint Louis finishes the season at home against third-place La Salle on Saturday. VCU is at Temple on Sunday.

The interim dean of St. Louis University's law school is resigning. Attorney Tom Keefe says he made "politically incorrect" statements that were inappropriate for a person in his position.

Keefe has held the temporary academic post since August. He had volunteered to take the position without pay.

Keefe is also being accused of sexual harassment. He denies that charge, but says he has made some inappropriate comments and may have been misinterpreted.

Keefe says he isn't being pressured to step down.

The university hasn't released a statement on Keefe's resignation.